The shares of Boeing tanked around $ 2 each on Tuesday after the US President-elect Donald Trump called for cancelling the order of Air Force One for future presidents being built by the plane manufacturer.
In a Tweet on December 6, Trump said, “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than USD 4 billion. Cancel order!” Later, Trump had even said that the $4 billion cost was “totally out of control” and “ridiculous”. Later while talking to reporters, Trump said that Boeing is making a lot of money. “We
Later while talking to reporters, Trump said that Boeing is making a lot of money. “We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money,” PTI reported him as saying.
Trump’s tweet surprised many as Boeing has built the plane for all US Presidents since Franklin Roosevelt. On its part, the Boeing said that the company is under $170 million to “help determine” the capabilities of Air Force One.
Interestingly, Trump has got an offer from Ukranian aircraft manufacturer Antonov to use its aircraft instead of Being as the Air Force One. “@realDonaldTrump May be it is better to consider #Antonov aircraft as Air Force One?,” Antonov tweeted. Twitterati are loving the offer and want to see Trump’s reaction.
Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016
@realDonaldTrump May be it is better to consider #Antonov aircraft as Air Force One?
— Antonov Company ???????? (@AntonovCompany) December 7, 2016
Here are how people reacted to the offer:
@EWdeVlieger @realDonaldTrump This reaction from @AntonovCompany with all the history between US and Russia is sheer genius 😉
— Jeroen Nederveen (@JeroenNV) December 7, 2016
@AntonovCompany @realDonaldTrump Love it! Wanna see the look on Trumps face…would be priceless!
— Skipper (@flyingmariner) December 8, 2016
@AntonovCompany @realDonaldTrump Epic win
— Miguel Lahoz García (@MiguelLahoz28) December 8, 2016
@AntonovCompany @realDonaldTrump made in Ukraine !!! the presidential car to travel USA !! pic.twitter.com/G8QAyjNSBn
— Амиго Хуан Педрос (@iml20081) December 7, 2016
@AntonovCompany @realDonaldTrump well played.. well played antonov
— kai (@Kenduck1YT) December 9, 2016
@AntonovCompany @realDonaldTrump CLASSIC !
— Bony Sharma (@BonySharmaz) December 8, 2016
Would love to see an US President using a soviet era aircraft as Airforce One. @AntonovCompany. Has a nice ring to it. @realDonaldTrump
— সান্দিপনি দে (@shandiponidey) December 8, 2016
@mr_jurenito @AntonovCompany @realDonaldTrump why not? Trumps style ) And his haircut will fit inside good enough )
— Rostyslav Dopeless (@dopeless_design) December 7, 2016
Meanwhile, the White House said that Trump may have got his figure for the cost of Air Force One wrong. “Some of the statistics that have been cited, shall we say, don’t appear to reflect the nature of the financial arrangement between Boeing and the Department of Defense,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest was quoted as saying by Reuters.
(Inputs from agencies)