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Trump Negotiates ‘Clearance Sale’ On Two New Air Force One Jetliners From Boeing

By Roz Zurko
Published on: 06:36 PST, Feb 27, 2018

Fox News called Trump’s new deal with Boeing somewhat of a “clearance sale” in their live broadcast today, as the businessman in Trump found a way to cut $1.4 billion off the price of two new planes. Once you hear how Trump managed this deal, you too might call this one of the biggest clearance sales to come down the pike. The White House confirmed today that a deal has been reached between the administration and Boeing for the two new Air Force One jetliners.

The new planes in this cut-rate sale are coming from Boeing, and when they are finished, they will be delivered to the U.S government as the two new Air Force One jetliners. These are the planes that will fly Trump, as well as future presidents, around the globe.

According to CNBC News, the future Air Force One is described as a “flying White House” by Boeing, the makers of the jetliners. So why do does the government need two Air Force One crafts? According to CBS News, this is to ensure there is always an Air Force One ready to go at a moment’s notice, even if one of the aircraft is in for maintenance.

If you remember back to December of 2016, Trump threatened to cancel the Air Force One deal with Boeing after complaining about the projected cost of the new aircraft on the drawing board. He tweeted about the cost of this plane at the time, which can be seen below in the article.

That was back in 2016, but another tweet today — this time from the Boeing Company — reports a turnaround from the train of thought on the original price for the Air Force One deal.

The original plan with Boeing for these planes, which was in the works long before Trump entered the White House, was at an estimated cost of $5 billion. This didn’t sit well with Trump. He had the price of those planes in his scope just a month after he was elected, but a month before he would move into the White House.

The new tweet from Boeing today explains it was Trump who negotiated a “good deal” with Boeing for these planes. That tweet is seen below.

So why did Fox News see Trump’s deal as a clearance sale-like event? That is because the planes are already made and sitting in a storage hanger in the Mojave Desert in California. The inside of these planes is not finished. They are like an empty shell, which was left that way because the Russian airline that ordered these two aircraft went bankrupt while the manufacturing of the planes was underway.

They are two “almost new” 747s, according to a report from Quartz Media. Boeing will do all the fittings to the interior of the planes, creating that flying White House they promise, and deliver the two 747s to the U.S. government for the cost of $3.9 billion, thanks to Trump’s business deal.

So why are the planes kept in the Mojave Desert? Quartz Media explains that the “dry and arid climate” in that region is conducive to an environment needed to preserve the jetliners.

Richard Aboulafia, who is the vice president of the aviation analysis firm Teal Group, said that much of the cost comes from outfitting the planes so they will be the sophisticated Air Force One jetliners of the future. This includes “ensuring communication equipment is secure and the plane is self-sufficient,” reports CNBC. The plane itself without all its interior fittings only accounts for about a fifth of the cost.

If you were wondering why two Air Force One jetliners are needed, you are not alone. People have been asking that question for some time on Twitter. Some of those tweets are seen below.

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