Furious Trump Sics Musk on Boeing to Deliver New Air Force One Jets

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Daily Beast

Updated Feb. 23 2025 3:49AM EST | Published Feb. 22 2025 7:06PM EST


A furious President Donald Trump has deputized Elon Musk to badger Boeing into delivering two new Air Force One jets—a project that has been been derailed by PR nightmares and technical issues, according to a report. The president has urged Musk to take drastic measures, such as rolling back security clearance standards for those working on the presidential planes, The New York Times reported earlier this week.

According to several inside sources, Trump is reportedly livid about having to fly in the same presidential planes that have been in use for more than 30 years, dating back to George H.W. Bush’s term. Trump has pushed for the new planes to have a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme—rather than the current light blue and white color—despite thermal issues raised by the dark blue.

During his four years out of office, Trump kept a model version of the new presidential jet in his office at Mar-a-Lago, the Times reported. “They’ve been building this thing forever,” Trump said during his joint Fox News interview with Musk this week. “I don’t know what’s going on.” Boeing originally signed the contract for the project in 2018, during Trump’s first term. The jets were supposed to be ready for use in 2024. It now looks as if they won’t be finished until near the end of Trump’s second stint in office.

The endeavor has been beset by a series of disasters. On the PR side, the company has dealt with lapsed security clearances for its workers and an instance where empty tequila bottles were found onboard one of the planes. In one technical setback, the team working on the project had to repair tiny cracks discovered in the structures for the two planes. The COVID pandemic also contributed to the delays by making it harder to find workers and causing supply-chain issues.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/furious-trump-sics-musk-on-boeing-to-deliver-new-air-force-one-jets/

[LearnedHand]

1. It's okay to cut corners on this *one* order

[Rebl2]

20. Agreed

[DENVERPOPS]

44. Agreed and Agreed again......

Cut as many corners as on the 737's...............Maybe use the same defective auto pilot vertical stabilization system used on the 737-800? (that they didn't tell the pilots about)........

Actually it is PUTIN pushing on Trump to get it done. The new plane has Blue White and Red horizontal stripes.
Co-incidentally just like the Russian Flag......

[RockCreek]

68. And RUSH it. 2025 delivery, as early in 2025 as it can be "assembled"

[forgotmylogin]

42. Put it in a box and make him assemble it himself like IKEA furniture. n/t

[Rebl2]

46. Excellent idea

[Initech]

65. And go ahead and install Elon's untested and unproven software too.

[Attilatheblond]

2. Browbeat and rush Boeing?

What could possibly go wrong?

[nilram]

5. Don't worry, he'll bring the SpaceX safety team with him.

At least, I hope he will.

[lonely bird]

17. Maybe...

The window will blow off with him sitting there with no seatbelt?

I’m sorry, did I say that out loud?

[Rebl2]

21. Sorry I didn't

hear what you said.

[lonely bird]

32. Thanks

😉😁

[niyad]

34. No, you were thinking to yourself.

[Bayard]

3. And how much are these things supposed to cost?

Yes, have them inspected by Musk's little minions to cut costs and raise efficiency.

[Irish_Dem]

8. Cost is no issue when it comes to anything for Musk and Trump.

After all, taxpayers will cover all the costs.

[MadameButterfly]

48. A few thousand fired federal workers

will pay for it. The new plane will have nice colors (Russian). Ok for the next 4 years but then we'll need another one that actually keeps POTUS safe.

[VMA131Marine]

14. $4.66 billion and Boeing expects to lose nearly one billion dollars on the order

I suspect they will lose even more than $1 billion

For comparison a Ford-class carrier costs $13 billion

A Standard Boeing 747-8I cost around $400 million. Of course they are no longer in production which is why Boeing had to start with aircraft that had already built for Transaero, who went bankrupt before they could be delivered. It probably would have been cheaper to have started with complete new builds for the new VC-25Bs as there would have been a lot of work in ripping out an reconfiguring existing systems to meet the contract requirements for security, durability, and survivability.

[SeattleVet]

38. Spot on!

The 747 line was still operational when the order was originated, but someone decided that it would be cheaper to retrofit the existing airframes. (It wasn't.)

All wiring throughout the airframe had to be removed and replaced with hardened materials to help mitigate EMP. There was also a whole shit-ton of rework required to meet the security and safety criteria. There were also several changes that the Orange Turd demanded during his first mis-administration ...like removing the mid-air refueling capability. Many of the things he demanded be removed required a lot of additional deconstruction and reconstruction. The dark paint scheme he mandated also screws with the thermal characteristics.

A lot of the extra costs were his own damn fault. And now they are actually talking about 'retrofitting' other existing airframes to serve as the presidential aircraft, which will incur additional untold costs just to meet the security and survivability criteria, n to to mention the communications and defensive attributes that are in the current aircraft. It's obvious that this idiot has no concept whatsoever about what is actually involved in this type of manufacture.

[Wifes husband]

54. Refueling

Why was the mid air refueling capability eliminated?

[VMA131Marine]

58. Dunno! Seems like something the Presidential airplane should have

[WhiteTara]

64. It only has to fly to MAL and back to DC?

[SeattleVet]

67. tRumplethinskin thought it added too much to the cost, and was unnecessary.

So in his first time in office he had them spend another ton of money to modify the plane to delete it, against all sane advice.

[RockCreek]

71. I agree not necessary for 47.

However, it makes d plane useless gor any other president.
Talk about waste...

[MadameButterfly]

80. Why the hell is a president who is completely unqualified

in aviation technology spending his time on this? Trump thinks he knows more about this than trained engineers with lifelong careers and generations of experience. Any other president would tell the experts to make the best decisions on safety and cost so he could focus on running the country.

This is what Trump cares about. The aesthetics and luxury of his jets. This is his life.

[Historic NY]

66. LOL the someone was Trump he made a deal

the air force was looking elsewhere for non 747s

[SeattleVet]

69. No - the original replacement contract was signed in 2015, well before the idiot started making changes.

That was for the two 747-8's. The Chump 'negotiated' a scheme that he thought would cut costs by obtaining the two undelivered Transaero planes in 2017. Then Boeing had to essentially start from scratch and do massive work on those.

[HarryM]

85. Isn't Transaero Russian?

If so, why the hell would the president of the US want a Russian plane, unless he was a Russian agent?

[Ocelot II]

4. I'm perfectly content to allow Boeing to rush the delivery of these planes.

Trump shouldn't have to be inconvenienced by bothersome roadblocks like checking to be sure all the parts are where they should be, tools weren't left inside the engines, and FAA inspections (since the FAA won't have enough inspectors anyhow). Speed tape works fine for a lot of things. Get 'em put together and out the door ASAP; just try not to fly them over populated areas.

[dalton99a]

22. +1

[Rebl2]

47. Maybe

test run with Vance, Trump and musk on board? What do you think.

[boonecreek]

62. Wow.

You're tapping into one of my favorite fantasies.

[MadameButterfly]

49. Problem is the next POTUS

willl have to use it. Oh, wait, the very existence of a next POTUS would be a good thing. Never mind.

[royable]

74. Only if the plane is still in one piece.

[MadameButterfly]

79. hoping the timing of the disaster

is in our favor

[Buddyzbuddy]

6. Wait, empty tequila bottles on board.

Do we know where Hegseth has been?

[orangecrush]

39. Excellent point!

[genxlib]

7. There are tons of security and safety implications to this

Just because he doesn't care, doesn't mean that future presidents won't.

If we aren't careful, Russian microphones will be everywhere.

On a completely different subject, this is yet another huge conflict of interest for Musk. Boeing and SpaceEx are competitors for federal contracts. Anything he does to undermine Boeing is of enormous benefit to him.

[orangecrush]

40. No future president in their right mind

Would fly in it.

[WestMichRad]

9. Don't worry about those cracks...

… they’re harmless!

[Polybius]

10. "the same presidential planes that have been in use for more than 30 years, dating back to George H.W. Bush's term"

I actually find that quite surprising. I would have thought that Air Force One would have been much newer.

[Deminpenn]

25. When these presidential aircraft

undergo maintenance, repair, modifications or upgrades, they use all new parts for the job.

[NotHardly]

11. Sure, push for early delivery & have Trump, Musk, Vance & Johnson on board for first flight.

I'm sure it will be just fine.

[niyad]

37. and the drunk, don't forget the drunk.

[TurboDem]

77. Which one?

Putrid Hogsbreath or Beer Bong Kavanaugh

[niyad]

81. Well, since we are talking the line of succession, petey.

But thank you for the reminder. It strikes me as interesting that, for a person who supposedly does not drink, TRAITOR** has no problem surrounding himself with alcoholics.

[LearnedHand]

41. How far down the line of succession do you have to go to find a decent person?

Just wondering how many need to be on that flight.

[MadameButterfly]

52. I think we need to win the House

in the midterms, then just 2.

[SarcasticSatyr]

12. If they want a faster delivery . . .

I would be ok with maybe them skipping every third bolt . . . .

[in2herbs]

13. I would suspect that some of the delay is due to all of the software necessary to make the plane the

in air White House.

Maybe F47 wants a new plane so that when he flees the country he can do so using a new plane with security technology that will appease Putin.

[EarthFirst]

15. Rubio even took the initiative to have the electronics systems pre engineered for Boeing...

…he picked them up in Saudi Arabia last week.

DOGE approved efficiency!

[thesquanderer]

16. Maybe he can get them faster if he goes with the surprise falling door option. (n/t)

[tinymontgomery]

18. Turn it over to him right now n/t

[Emrys]

19. I imagine Musk may well speed things up

His strategy at SpaceX is that rapid unscheduled disassemblies are valuable learning moments and not to be shunned or mourned. Maybe he'll move fast and break things.

All these backup systems - are they really necessary?

Wings? That's so 20th-century.

[slightlv]

23. Ok... cut the security and expertise needed to work on THESE planes!

Let trump feel the effect of his rulings directly. Of all the planes currently falling out of the skies right now, I think this is one that could really do us some good. trump is too stupid and egotistical to realize that some things can't be speeded up if you want it done right, and being done right is a matter of life and death. So, give him a life-learning lesson!

[Deminpenn]

24. Hope Boeing

delivers it tomorrow.

[FakeNoose]

26. I don't get it ... why doesn't Musk lend Chump one of his jets?

What's the big deal ... he's the "richest man in the world." Am I right?

[bucolic_frolic]

27. Elon's CyberPlane Engineers will save the day

Would you fly in that thing?

[jeffreyi]

28. Who stole those strawberries?

[marble falls]

29. Dear Lord, please have Felon Musk sign off on his engineering orders while trashing Boeing. Please ...

... Lord do not let anyone get seriously hurt because of the South Afrikan poster boy for the Dunning Kruger Effect being an even worse aeronautical engineer than he is automotive engineer. Or running a tunneling company. Or running a social network.

[IA8IT]

30. Here you go just a few blocks away on the mall 1903 Wright Flyer

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/1903-wright-flyer/nasm_A19610048000

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

31. Hey Eloon

I live in the city where the 747 is manufactured. Come to Everett and enjoy some hospitality from the locals.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. I have driven past there on the way to Blaine for a work trip

(and eventually went across into Canada to Vancouver)

Boeing and Microsoft all over the damn place and the whole area is nothing but A LOT of trees! Just billions of acres of conifers.

[mtngirl47]

36. eejit n/t

[Figarosmom]

43. They should deliver it as is

And just let it go down with him on it.

He asked for it.

[Aussie105]

45. Sell the current plane.

Trump should buy a season Amtrak ticket.

Leave security at home.

Money saved, DOGE team will love the idea!

[MadameButterfly]

53. Or Trump could fly commercial. Only costs $2.

(and $2 ea. for his security detail)

[NBachers]

50. Just bolt stubby wings and jet engines onto a Cybertruck.

If only I had the Photoshop skills to reproduce what's in my head.

[Augiedog]

51. Trump wants to fly on a plane that musk has something to do with? Good luck with that landing

[RockRaven]

55. By all means, Dotard, please a) rely on Edolf's technical prowess to b) rush production

and delivery of c) current Boeing aircraft.

That is actually a GREAT idea. A+B+C = very stable genius thinking.

Bigly brained very good idea, sir, with tears in eyes.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

56. "Rolling back security clearance standards for those working on the presidential planes."

What could go wrong?

"I am the new supervisor in charge of installing Top Secret communications equipment in the airplane, comrade. Could you show me where the classified documents are located? It's Mar-a-Lago? I'll have Ivan take care of it -- he works the front desk checking in 'guests.' "

[Klarkashton]

57. I thought he was in charge of everything. What's this

Shit if passing this along to that other asshole?

[Initech]

59. Fuck him and his stupid Americagasm symbols!

Holy shit, this 78 year old toddler is going to kill a whole lot of us!

[Blue Owl]

60. trump first, safety last

Works for me

[PortTack]

61. Oh please pleas put musk in charge' maybe the plane willl explode, or fall out of the sky

L

[MissouriDem47]

63. Give the Big Baby What He Wants

Go ahead, let him have the plane right now, just as it sits, since he's such a big baby about it.

[Hekate]

70. What could possibly go wrong with this?

[33taw]

72. Can Elon have his "audit team" help? They know everything.

[swong19104]

73. Yes please!

Deliver that Airforce One 747 ASAP! Make sure to have the Max sotware installed, too.

[SWBTATTReg]

75. These guys have enough of their stupid money to pay for their flights. Screw them. Let them whine and gripe,

I hope that they suffer.

[Layzeebeaver]

76. 737MAX software installed by Russian technicians...

Yea, that's' the ticket.

[Turbineguy]

78. He'll still be able to go to a few countries without getting arrested.

Maybe Vlad will give him a flying lesson.

[tavernier]

82. It would be much sleeker looking

without wings. Come on Rumpy, think of the time that will save. You might get it by this afternoon.

[Grins]

83. And Musk is going to threaten Boeing with what? Picking another supplier?

There is no other supplier!
The only other option would be Airbus. And that ain't gonna' happen!

Given Trump, maybe Tupolev? Sukhoi? Ilyushin?

[HarryM]

84. Maybe Eloon should build it

Like he builds his exploding rockets and spontaneously combusting automobiles.