President-elect Donald Trump, escalating his carrot-and-stick approach to the nation’s manufacturing sector, on Tuesday called for canceling Boeing Co. ’s work on a new version of Air Force One, asserting that the company was trying to rip off taxpayers.

“The plane is totally out of control,” Mr. Trump said in brief remarks in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City. He added: “We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money.”

Using Twitter , Mr. Trump said the cost for new planes for future presidents was “more than $4 billion. Cancel order!”

While the White House and others pushed back on the $4 billion estimate used by Mr. Trump, defense experts said it was too early to identify the final tally until the Pentagon, the White House and the Secret Service had decided what equipment to install on the fleet of up to three jets.

Boeing officials contacted the Trump team Tuesday to discuss his remarks and told them the cost hinged on the planes’ final requirements, according to a person familiar with the discussion.