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‘Never been more excited for a collab’: Boeing-Musk team up for Air Force One rush job, raising eyebrows

‘Love it when the plane crash company teams up with the exploding car company.’

Photo of Mikael Thalen

Mikael Thalen

Elon Musk over air force one in the sky

Elon Musk is working with Boeing on behalf of President Donald Trump in order to speed up replacements for the president’s planes, known as Air Force One, that are over budget and behind schedule.

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But with the airline giant under scrutiny for alleged safety lapses—including a string of deadly crashes—the collaboration is raising eyebrows on both the right and left.

On Tuesday, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company had “been engaged with Elon” in an effort to deliver a pair of Boeing 747s set to become part of the next presidential fleet.

Ortberg attributed the delays to design changes, labor constraints, and supply chain issues, according to CNBC.

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A handful of President Trump’s supporters reacted to the news by expressing concern with Boeing’s involvement.

“And we trust Boeing with the presidents life why?” one user asked on X.

The vast majority of responses, however, carried a tone of restrained jubilation.

“Never been more excited for a collab,” X user Jess Dweck wrote.

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Others noted the irony of Boeing working with Musk, whose Tesla vehicles include fire-prone lithium-ion batteries.

“Love it when the plane crash company teams up with the exploding car company,” one X user said.

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“thrilled by this super team of boeing + elon musk + a rush job,” another added.

References were also made to Trump and Musk’s opposition to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. In January 2024, ironically, Musk referred to DEI as “DIE” when stating that it would “take an airplane crashing and killing hundreds of people for them to change this crazy policy of DIE.”

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Whether Musk’s involvement will speed up the completion of Boeing’s project, which began during Trump’s first term, remains to be seen. An updated delivery schedule is expected from Boeing in the spring, an Air Force spokesperson told CNBC.

Boeing has faced ongoing safety controversies, including deadly plane crashes in 2018 and 2019.

The FAA grounded its 737 Max in January 2024 after a door flew off the plane mid-flight, and subsequent inspection revealed a string of concerns.

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The FAA identified numerous quality control issues, highlighting lapses in production oversight and non-compliance with safety regulations.

The fleet resumed flying weeks later.


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