Media and the professional left have been jaw-agape, pearl-clutching amid their discussion of the appropriateness for Donald Trump to directly confront corporate CEO’s about their business models.

Initially their angst was simply because Donald Trump had the audacity to begin staking a pro-worker, “America First” jobs position with Carrier Inc. The workers won.

President Trump then shifted slightly and spoke toward government contractors such as Boeing (Air Force One Contract) and Lockheed Martin… challenging their costs:

President-elect Trump took stewardship to an entire new level when tasking two competitors, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, for comparative bids and lower costs. The approach is brilliant.

According to their own report, the F-35 program is Lockheed Martin’s largest program, generating 59% of Aeronautics’ net sales in 2015. (link) Lockheed receives 78% of their $46.1 billion in net sales from the U.S. Government.

[58% from the Department of Defense {DoD}, 21% from international customers (foreign military sales {FMS} contracted through the U.S. Government)]. (link)

There are TENS OF BILLIONS at stake; and remember, it would be a violation of business and contract law for Boeing and Lockheed to discuss the cost issue jointly.

So when your biggest customer asks you, publicly, in front of those who ultimately pay the cost, to please cut your costs – and simultaneously asks your chief rival for a comparative bid on an alternate option, well, as a CEO, what do you do?

You make a “personal commitment” to America’s First deal maker, that’s what:

(Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Corp said its Chief Executive Marillyn Hewson gave U.S. President-elect Donald Trump a personal commitment to bring down the price of its F-35 fighter jet, after he heaped pressure on the aerospace company over the cost. Lockheed’s shares fell on Friday after Trump’s message on Twitter, and after he earlier tweeted that he had asked rival Boeing Co to “price-out” an older aircraft as an alternative. Hewson said in a statement tweeted by Lockheed that the company would “aggressively” drive down the cost of the F-35, which brought in about 20 percent of Lockheed’s sales last year. (more)

(link)

…“and we will win, and you will win, and we will keep on winning; and eventually you will say “Mr. Trump, we can’t take all of this winning”, …please Mr. Trump …and I will say, NO, we will win, and we will keep on winning”. ~ Donald Trump