Ties between Trump and Boeing run deep
Trump has used Boeing products and sites as a backdrop for major announcements over the course of his presidency. In March 2018 he touted the impact of his tax overhaul bill as he visited a plant in St. Louis.
Before joining the Pentagon, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who is expected to be named to the post, worked for 31 years at Boeing, where he was general manager for the 787 Dreamliner passenger jet.
Boeing has nominated Nikki Haley, Trump’s former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who continues to be a close ally, to join its board of directors at the company’s annual shareholders meeting on April 29.
Trump has also put pressure on U.S. allies to buy products from Boeing, the country’s second largest defense contractor which received $104 billion in unclassified defense contracts between 2014 and 2018. [Continue reading…]