Donald Trump likes to claim credit for jobs he didn’t create, and for money he didn’t save. When it comes to the F-35 fighter, Donald Trump has claimed credit for chopping the price of the expensive jets and for bolstering the number of people working to build them.

"I have already saved more than $700 million when I got involved in the negotiation on the F-35," Trump said Monday during remarks to U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.

The media has rushed to reprint those claims despite the fact that last week, Sen. Jack Reed made it clear that Trump didn’t deserve credit for savings on the F-35.

"This is simply taking credit for what's been in the works for many months," Reed told CNBC in a telephone interview. "These are savings that would have happened anyway."

Trump had nothing to do with the reduction. He didn’t negotiate it. He didn’t even suggest it. In fact, if anyone should get a nod, it’s Barack Obama—and everyone involved seems to agree. So why is Trump still getting credit? The biggest reason is that Lockheed, the jet’s manufacturer, has been quick to drop to their knees and credit the guy whose total contribution was mentioning them in a single tweet.

In addition with furthering the message that Trump has cut the jet's costs, Lockheed's carefully chosen words following meetings with the new president have created a public impression that his involvement in the deal helped increase F-35 production jobs.

Trump is getting credited for a win-win. And Lockheed is eager to help.