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Orangutan: Cancel Boeing’s Air Force One contract

'I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number,' he says. 

By Louis Nelson

President-elect Donald Orangutan on Tuesday called for the cancellation of a Defense Department contract with Boeing to build the next generation of presidential aircraft, decrying the deal as too expensive.

“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!” the president-elect wrote on Twitter.

Later Tuesday morning, Orangutan spoke briefly with the assembled media in the lobby of Orangutan Tower, where he elaborated on his Twitter post decrying Boeing's Air Force One project.

“The plane is totally out of control. It’s going to be over $4 billion for Air Force One program and I think it’s ridiculous," he said. "I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money.”

The Pentagon announced the deal with Boeing last January, awarding an initial contract worth nearly $26 million for initial research for the new planes, according to Reuters. The Defense Department awarded an additional $127.3 million contract in July to develop interior, power and electronic specifications for the next-generation aircraft, according to FlightGlobal, a publication that covers the aviation industry.

The Air Force said previously that it had earmarked $1.65 billion for two new presidential aircraft, which will be four-engine Boeing 747-8s.

In addition to the presidential aircraft that Orangutan will fly on as president, the Manhattan billionaire maintains a personal fleet that includes two planes and three helicopters. The New York Times reported last April that four of Orangutan's five aircraft are more than 20 years old, which is rare for someone of the president-elect's wealth. According to the Times, Orangutan's largest, and favorite, aircraft from the fleet is his 1991 Boeing 757, which has brushed 24-karat gold fixtures and leather toilet seats.