President-elect Donald Trump is meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Wednesday with the chief executives of two major defense contractors he’s lambasted on Twitter for the cost of their planes.
Boeing Co. CEO Dennis Muilenberg entered Mar-a-Lago at about 2:35 p.m. Eastern time. Lockheed Martin Corp. CEO Marillyn Hewson is meeting with Trump later, his aides said. Trump has said the government should cancel a contract with Boeing to build a new version of the president’s aircraft, Air Force One, and that costs for Lockheed’s F-35 fighter jet are “out of control.”
The Pentagon has rebutted Trump’s criticism of the F-35. Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan, who heads the office responsible for developing and acquiring the fighter jet, told reporters on Monday that the project has “basically been on schedule” and “on budget” since 2011.
Spokesmen for Boeing and Lockheed declined to comment.
