The White House makes a deal for two new Boeing 747-8 Air Force Ones

Boeing and President Trump appear to have made an informal deal for the newest upcoming batch of Air Force One based on the 747-8 passenger jet, touting a savings of $1.4 billion. Nathan Rousseau Smith has the details. The White House has confirmed that the administration has reached a deal with Boeing for two new Air Force One planes.

“President Trump has reached an informal deal with Boeing on a fixed price contract for the new Air Force One Program,” a White House spokesman said. “Thanks to the President’s negotiations, the contract will save the taxpayers more than $1.4 Billion.”

The deal between the Trump administration and Boeing is expected to total $3.9 billion. The Pentagon deferred to the White House. Some of the savings may have come after Boeing failed to secure a deal with its original buyer: Russia.

The U.S. Air Force told that the two planes were originally supposed to be sold to Russia. When that deal fell through, the Air Force acquired the aircraft at a slightly discounted price.

The planes never left U.S. soil, the Air Force said. In December 2016, Trump complained about the $4 billion-plus projected cost of building a new Air Force One plane. He threatened to cancel the “order” in a tweet at the time.

But the deal the White House now supports will carry costs barely below the $4 billion mark. The anticipated $1.4 billion in savings appear to come from a different estimate that totaled over $5 billion. The deal includes the two new planes and their development program, as well as the construction of a new hangar to house the aircraft.

The White House credited Trump’s negotiations with the aircraft manufacturer for the smaller bill in the final deal. Before his inauguration, then President-elect Trump met with the CEOs of Boeing and Lockheed Martin at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and discussed ways to lower the cost of the planes’ development. After that meeting, Muilenberg gave Trump his “personal commitment” that Boeing would lower costs below $4 billion.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Boeing celebrated the deal that it says will provide “American Presidents with a flying White House at outstanding value to taxpayers.”