President-elect Donald Trump's Twitter attack on Boeing isn't keeping the aircraft builder from writing a big check to back his inaugural festivities.
The company already had committed $1 million to help underwrite inaugural events when Trump took aim at the manufacturer this week, according to a Boeing official familiar with the planning, who requested anonymity to speak frankly about the discussions.
The donation matches the amount Boeing gave to President Obama's 2013 inauguration, Federal Election Commission records show.
On Tuesday, Trump lashed out at the manufacturing giant on Twitter and called for the government to cancel its deal with Boeing to develop the next generation of Air Force One, citing cost overruns.
"Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Cancel order!"
In a statement, Boeing countered that its current deal with the Air Force is for $170 million in design work. But the Defense Department has indicated it could spend nearly $3 billion over five years to design and develop replacements for the pair of jets that serve as Air Force One. And defense experts say a $4 billion total price-tag is a reasonable estimate of total costs.
By the end of the day Tuesday, Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenberg had spoken with Trump and had promised to work with the new administration to rein in costs, Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe told The Washington Post this week.
In an interview Wednesday on NBC, Trump called Muilenberg a "very good man" and said, "we're going to work it out."
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When asked about donations to inaugural activities, Johndroe said in an email to USA TODAY: "We are pleased to continue our tradition of supporting presidential inaugurations."
Trump's inaugural fundraising committee has not released a budget but aims to raise as much as $75 million, according to media accounts. The New York Times this week reported that organizers already have collected some $50 million, putting the Trump team on pace to exceed the $53 million Obama raised from private sources for his first inauguration in 2009.
Big benefactors will enjoy big benefits, according to a widely circulated fundraising brochure.
Among the perks for "underwriters" who contribute $1 million or more: eight tickets to a candlelight dinner at which Trump and his wife Melania will appear.
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