Why has Donald Trump become Boeing’s most prolific sales agent?

Gus Carlson is a U.S.-based columnist for The Globe and Mail.

The man who not long ago expressed very publicly his disappointment with Boeing has suddenly become the troubled airplane maker’s most prolific sales agent.

U.S. President Donald Trump has seasoned recent big international trade deals with huge commitments from foreign powers to buy billions of dollars of airplanes made by Boeing, the Virginia-based aerospace giant.

Last week Japan agreed to buy 100 Boeing planes as part of a broader trade deal to ease tariff restrictions. That commitment followed similar recent agreements with Britain that will see British Airways’ parent company buy US$13-billion worth of Boeing jets and Indonesia buy 50 of the company’s planes.

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The Trump administration has also taken credit for co-operative commercial deals involving the sale of Boeing airliners to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

These deals are expected to be the first of many. Whispers suggest Boeing planes will be part of larger long-term trade agreements with China and India.

Casual observers might wonder why Boeing has become Mr. Trump’s unlikely darling. After all, in recent years the company has hardly been a shining example of American exceptionalism Mr. Trump likes to tout.

Boeing has been plagued with quality problems that have caused high-profile air disasters, regulatory probes and criminal investigations. The problems led to the unceremonious dumping of its chief executive office, Dave Calhoun, last year. The caveat emptor element is somewhat obvious for foreign governments agreeing to take Boeing planes as sweeteners in trade deals.

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More telling on a personal level, Mr. Trump has complained loudly about long delays in the delivery of two Boeing-built jumbo jets to be used as Air Force One presidential planes.

He voiced disappointment that the new Air Force One planes, part of a US$4-billion contract signed in 2018, would not be delivered in 2024 as promised, and would be delayed until after his term as president ended. There was “no excuse” for the delays, he said, and vowed to look at other options.

That led him to accept as a gift from Qatar a fully outfitted jumbo jet to use in the interim. Ethical questions about Mr. Trump’s acceptance of the free plane from the Gulf state raised eyebrows among both his supporters and detractors.

The criticism didn’t matter. Upon delivery of the 747-8 stretch model to the U.S., Mr. Trump complained that it was “much too big,” even for him. The plane is 18 feet longer than a conventional Air Force One model.

To be sure, there is a goodwill element in the willingness of foreign governments facing punishing U.S. tariffs to agree to buy the jets. Boeing is the largest U.S. exporter, so there is no shortage of symbolism is showcasing the company on the world stage.

But the real answer probably lies somewhere in Mr. Trump’s obsession with all things big, except perhaps the gifted Qatari jumbo. His modus operandi is no secret: It’s not enough to win; he needs to win big – or perhaps, bigly.

And those big, beautiful Boeing airplanes carry big, beautiful price tags. A Boeing 737 Max 8 costs about US$120-million; the company’s flagship 777-9 model can run to almost US$450-million.

At those numbers, multiple-order deals are one of the quickest ways for the Trump administration to pad its trade scorecard.

For the record, Mr. Trump is not the only U.S. president to have used Boeing as a lever in global trade relations. In 2011, then-president Barack Obama took credit for a huge deal that saw the Indonesian airline, Lion Air, buy 230 Boeing aircraft for more than US$20-billion. Mr. Obama said the deal would create more than 100,000 American jobs and solidify the U.S. commitment to building economic ties with the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr. Trump is also not the only one benefitting from the embedding of Boeing airplanes in trade negotiations. Boeing shares hit their 52-week high this month, a remarkable turnaround from the spring, when tariff fears and pushback from China on honoring delivery orders on Boeing jets sent the company’s earnings and share price tumbling.

As for the new Air Force One planes, Boeing seems to have heard Mr. Trump’s message. The planes are now scheduled for delivery in 2027, while he is still in office.

Until then, Mr. Trump will need to cool his heels while the oversized Qatari gift undergoes a refit in Texas to make it Air Force One-worthy. Or, in a pinch, he can always use his own personal Boeing 757, modestly nicknamed Trump Force One.