Posted on 12/22/2016 11:01:24 AM PST by VitacoreVision
Following a one-on-one meeting with Boeing’s CEO, Dennis Mullenburg, on Wednesday over Trump’s concerns that the new Air Force One aircraft were costing too much, Mullenburg said: “We’re going to get it done for less than [the $4 billion price tag], and we’re committed to working together to make sure that happens.”
The deal, hammered out at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, revealed much about the paradigm shift taking place even before Trump is inaugurated. First, Trump means business. Not inhibited by ties to the military-industrial complex, Trump is recognizing who his employer really is: the American people. It’s taxpayer monies that fund the government, and he’s taking the taxpayers’ side in challenging Boeing. He has already fearlessly and successfully “persuaded” Ford and Carrier to change their plans to relocate to other countries, and he’s working on Lockheed Martin to reduce its costs on the infamously late and over-budget F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that it is building.
Second, Trump has no problem dealing eyeball-to-eyeball with the companies' senior executives. He’s been making deals with people like Mullenburg for decades.
Third, Mullenburg is fully aware that, when it comes time to offer his company’s services to the U.S. government in the future, Trump will most certainly have some input. Mullenburg’s company, generating nearly $100 billion a year in revenues, is greatly dependent upon government for a large part of those revenues.
Next, Trump certainly knows about Boeing’s past ethical problems, including an investigation in 2003 wherein Boeing KC-767 tanker aircraft were chosen by Pentagon procurement person Darleen Druyun, though the craft were more expensive and met less USAF standards than an Airbus model, while she was negotiating a job offer with Boeing. Known as the “Druyun affair,” it led to the resignation of Boeing’s then-CEO Philip Condit and the termination of the company’s COO, Michael Sears.
And Trump no doubt knew about Lockheed Martin charging Boeing with industrial espionage that same year, leading to Boeing’s $500 million settlement of both scandals.
In other words, Trump is taking Al Capone’s advice: One can do business better with a smile and a gun, instead of just a smile. Trump’s “gun” is that he isn’t beholden to anyone except his employer, he appears to have no hidden agenda, he is determined to keep his campaign promises, and has the skill set to cut deals favorable to the taxpayer.
Trump is also using these agreements to put others on notice that he is one president not to be trifled with. Following the meeting with Mullenburg, Trump sat down with Lockheed Martin’s CEO Marilyn Hewson to discuss the ghastly cost overruns on her company’s F-35 fighter that is running years behind schedule and is estimated to cost the U.S. taxpayer a trillion dollars by the time the project is complete.
The paradigm shift is already taking place, and the man isn’t even president yet.
He just want to set the same expectations for federal government project that he has for Trump projects: on-time and under-budget. Tell me the last time we had a POTUS who uttered similar words...
I’m already getting tired of work much winning. I must be strong and adapt.
...so much winning.
This says it all: “Trump is recognizing who his employer really is: the American people”, which is something members of Congress - especially on the Republican side of the non-existent aisle, who think they’ve been elected to a “club” for the purpose of compromising with their “friends”/fellow club members in the Democrat Party, have completely forgotten.
I am hoping against hope that Trump will send a clear and resounding message to McConnell, Ryan and their allies that essentially says, “You didn’t oppose a damned thing that Obama did TO this country for the last eight years; stand against me at your peril. I know who my bosses are and you WILL find out who yours are as well.”
ANOTHER TRUMP WIN!
Trump has announced that the border wall he promised has dropped its estimate price in HALF and liberals are helping pay for it! From 10B to 5B.
How!? 63 million liberals shit a brick and reduced material costs!
While Trump is having talks with the CEO’s of Boing and Lockheed Martin about reducing costs President Obama is out playing golf in Hawaii. Trump is not even President yet and so much winning.
Guess Soetoro and his buddies won’t be getting their cut on the deal.
When is he going to say something, anything about cutting off all welfare to illegals? If the benefits are waiting at the end of the trail the wall won't do much. He needs to do BOTH.
When is he going to say something, anything about cutting off all welfare to illegals? ........UMMMM.. He ain’t President yet.
Ike.
Probably right. And I like Ike.
I’m tired of winning.
Make him stop. Obama is still the official occupant of our White House, and we’re supposed to keep losing for another 29 days. We’re supposed to waste money buying overpriced products from companies that donate to our House and Senate. We’re supposed to lose jobs to Mexico. We’re supposed to have more routine “workplace violence” incidents with diverse guests from countries that hate white America. I just want to go back to the monotonous hum of failure after failure after failure. Barack Hussein promised us eight years of fundamental change from the freedom and success of two hundred years of history, and I expected it to continue for four more weeks plus one day.
Wonder how many more wins the guy will rack up BEFORE he takes office. He still has 28 days to Jan 20.
Have to agree with you - this is way too much win. The body can’t cope after becoming so accustomed to Obama-failure and mediocrity.
Is the government going to pay fair market value for those bricks?
Military procurement costs are out of control. Anyone else followed the disaster of the Navy’s new round of ships? Astronomically over budget and breaking down left and right, can’t complete the missions assigned etc. LCS is a fiasco.
Not just “on time” but “ahead of schedule” is the phrase he uses. And he walks the talk
I tried to keep a list of all the wins but lost count and couldnt keep up.
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