GOP strategist Karl Rove has criticized U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's comments on aircraft maker Boeing Co.'s (BA) contract for a new Air Force One plane, saying they were inaccurate and de-stabled the stock of a major company. Air Force One is the official air plane for the U.S. President.
"First of all, there's not a contract for $4 billion, there's a contract for $170 million. It's not to build one plane, actually the goal will ultimately be to build 3 planes," Rove told Bill Hemmer, co-host of Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
"But, and look, the impulse, we want to save the taxpayers money, that's admirable. But this was fire, ready, aim in my opinion," Rove, who was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration, added.
Trump has asked the U.S. government to cancel the order with Boeing for the new Air Force One as its costs were 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 Tuesday morning.
The U.S. Air Force had signed deals with Boeing to design the new presidential aircraft, including its interior, electrical and power system, and maintenance systems.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated the entire program to cost about $3.2 billion from the 2010 through 2020 fiscal years, including $2 billion for research and development.
However, Rove criticized Trump for his comments. He noted that the existing contract with Boeing is to drop the technical designs and specifications the Air Force, the Secret Service and the other elements of the government want in the new fleet of Air Force Ones.
According to Rove, Boeing has already lost money on the two planes it sold the U.S. government 29 years ago and will, in all likelihood, not make much money on the new fleet of three Air Force Ones contemplated.
Rove also urged Trump to make sure his words are accurate, saying that the President-elect de-stabled the stock of a major American company.
"That stock is held by millions of Americans, by pension funds, by university endowments, by charity endowments, by ordinary people who've invested in Boeing and he said something that was not accurate that had a negative impact on that stock, " Rove said.
Nevertheless, Trump will have the power to cancel the contract with Boeing for the new planes when he takes power as the U.S. President and Commander-in-chief in January.
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