BA Boeing Co

By Damian Paletta and Daniel Nasaw 

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would personally "negotiate the prices" with Boeing Co. of the planes to be used as Air Force One, promising to block a future order if necessary and to continue using the existing aircraft for the presidential plane.

Mr. Trump, in a Wednesday morning interview on NBC, said he had spoken to "the head" of Boeing, likely referring to chief executive Dennis Muilenburg, on Tuesday, following criticism Mr. Trump leveled at the company about what he perceived were elevated prices for the planes. He accused the company of attempting to charge more than $4 billion to build the new planes, a figure that the White House and Air Force have disputed.

While presidents do become personally involved in many negotiations, such as trade deals or legislation with Congress, it is much less common for them to be intimately involved in government procurement contracts.

Mr. Trump, in the NBC interview, said he saw this as part of his job.

"That's what I'm here for," he said. "I'm going to negotiate the prices."

He also praised the man he will succeed in the White House, saying that he and President Barack Obama have "really good chemistry" and that he had run ideas for cabinet picks by him.

"I've now gotten to know President Obama," Mr. Trump said in the NBC interview, which marked his pick as Time magazine's person of the year. "I really like him. We have a really good chemistry together. We talk."

He said Mr. Obama "loves the country, he wants to do right by the country. I really like him as a person."

Mr. Trump is in the process of assembling his cabinet and top advisers, having announced his choices for the secretaries of commerce, defense, education, housing and urban development, health and human services, and treasury, as well as national security adviser. Mr. Trump said he expected to name his pick for secretary of state next week. He said there would be other "big announcements" on Wednesday and Thursday.

"I have asked him what he would think of this one and that one," Mr. Trump said of Mr. Obama, adding he takes Mr. Obama's suggestions "very seriously."

"We have a very good dialogue," he said on NBC. "I do like him. I love getting his ideas."

Write to Damian Paletta at damian.paletta@wsj.com and Daniel Nasaw at daniel.nasaw@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 07, 2016 09:42 ET (14:42 GMT)

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