United States President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he wants to cancel the orders for the Air Force One presidential planes, in an attempt to cut government costs.
The Republican billionaire took to Twitter and said that the budget for the new 747 Air Force One planes with Boeing is "out of control".
"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!" Trump tweeted.
The US government currently has a contract with Boeing to build two or more new presidential planes. The White House, however, did not agree with the sum quoted by Trump in his tweet for the planes.
"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 Defence," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Reports state that the new planes ordered by the government would enter into service in year 2024, which means unless Donald Trump does a second term, he will not be able to travel in the new Air Force One.
Soon after Trump's tweet, Boeing's share reportedly fell by more than 1 percent. However, the firm recovered most of the losses in afternoon trading. The US government has signed a contract with Boeing for $170 million, and according to BBC, additional funding for two new planes has also been allocated.
Trump also said that Japan's SoftBAnk has agreed to create around 50,000 new jobs in the US by investing around $50 billion. Trump made the statement through his tweet after a meeting with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son at the Trump Tower.
"Masa said he would never do this had we (Trump) not won the election!" Trump tweeted.
When Trump assumes the presidential seat in January next year, he will have the power to cancel the contract with Boeing for new presidential planes.
According to the Government Accountability Office estimates, the final cost for the planes will be $3.2 billion. Reports state that the design of the future presidential planes is still in their initial phases.
