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Investing.com -- President Trump, expressing his frustration over the delays in the delivery of two new Air Force One jets, has engaged Elon Musk to explore significant options to encourage Boeing (NYSE:BA) to accelerate its pace, according to the New York Times (NYSE:NYT), citing sources. This includes the possibility of relaxing security clearance standards for some workers on the presidential planes.
Musk, whom Trump has tasked with reducing the federal government, has been integral to these discussions, liaising with the military, the White House, and Boeing. Trump views Boeing as almost a lost cause, regularly expressing his disappointment at the company’s decline and questioning its inability to construct things. The two heavily modified Boeing 747s currently in use for presidential transport are over 30 years old and require extensive maintenance. Trump sees Air Force One as a symbol of power and prestige.
On Saturday, Trump demonstrated his willingness to explore other options by inspecting a luxury jet at Palm Beach International Airport. The late model 747-8 was previously owned by the Qatari royal family, according to registration data. However, it remains uncertain whether any of these options will materialize.
Depending on the extent of the reduction in security requirements, the cost of accelerating the new planes’ production schedule could compromise the president’s safety or national security if not managed meticulously. Boeing executives argue that this can be done safely by reducing the security standards for certain classes of workers who do not touch the airplanes’ most sensitive systems.
The Air Force has already committed to paying Boeing $3.5 billion of the $4.3 billion total allocated for the project. However, Boeing is at least three years behind schedule and has already recorded $2.4 billion in losses on the contract.
Boeing executives have indicated to the government that they might not be able to deliver the new Air Force Ones until the end of Trump’s second term. However, Musk, known for setting ambitious deadlines at his companies, insists that at least one of the planes can be delivered within a year. Officials involved in the project, which requires the plane to be capable of evading certain missile attacks or surviving the fallout from a nuclear blast, view Musk’s timeline as unrealistic. Despite this, the president has expressed confidence in Musk’s abilities, suggesting that if Musk can fly a rocket, he can probably figure out an airplane.
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