President Donald Trump with Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in the East Room of the White House. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

President Trump on Thursday announced that he had intervened to "expedite" the sale of $5 billion worth of Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets to Kuwait, and was "pleased to report" that the deal has now been authorized.

Trump, who made the comment during a joint press conference with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, said he fast-tracked the process based on a request from the emir during his trip to the Middle East this year.

"During the same period and the same trip to Saudi Arabia, which was my great honor, representing our incredible country, his highness personally asked me to expedite a $5 billion agreement for the sale of American F/A-18 Super Hornet fighting jets for Kuwait," Trump said. "I am pleased to report that the State Department has now authorized this transferred purchase, which will not only strengthen our mutual security, but will greatly benefit American workers."

The problem is, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, a Pentagon agency that blesses the potential sale of military equipment to foreign countries, announced the approval on Nov. 17. That's nine days after Trump was elected and more than two months before he would take the oath office.

DSCA, which works with the State Department to approve foreign military sales, determined that the U.S. could sell Kuwait as many as 40 Super Hornets and associated engines, radars, weapons, and other accessories for $10.1 billion.

A US Navy F-18 Super Hornet from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, takes off for a training mission during the 2010 Falcon Air Meet, October 26, 2010, at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. US Air Force Photo

"This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political and economic progress in the Middle East," DSCA said. "The proposed sale of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft will improve Kuwait's capability to meet current and future warfare threats."

Trump's claim, therefore, amounts to a "considerable exaggeration" of the role he played, said Joel Johnson, a foreign military sales expert at the Teal Group. "The basic decision to sell was made well before Trump came along."

Boeing declined to comment when asked specific questions about Trump's statement, but said overall it supports the sale.

"We appreciate Congress' and the State Department's support of this important sale, but at this time we must defer to the U.S. government on any official details," Boeing said in a statement. "We are encouraged by continued progress on the Kuwait fighter sales process."

President Donald Trump with Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The State Department declined to comment when asked about Trump's statement.

Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at Teal Group, was at a loss to explain how Trump could have expedited a sale that was already approved.

"Look, he made it happen during the Obama administration," he joked. "This is not debatable."

Under the Arms Export Control Act, Congress must be notified 30 days before Washington sells weapons to another country. Congress does not need to approve the sale. Rather, it is given the opportunity to block it through legislation if lawmakers see a problem.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan U. Kledzik/US Navy

Once the State Department and DSCA approves a potential sale, contract negotiations begin.

In this case, it's a three-way negotiation, as Kuwait buys the aircraft from the U.S. Navy, which is buying the aircraft from Boeing.

"In this case, it's possible Trump could give a nudge to the contracting people on our side, or he could give a nudge to the Kuwaitis or could even call Boeing," Johnson said. "But Trump said State has now authorized it. This was politically a done deal."

Trump and Hornets

The statement was just the latest in what appears to be a fixation, sometimes involving misleading comments, that Trump has about the specific airframe, Aboulafia said.

Three days before Christmas, Trump shocked the defense industry when he blasted the excessive cost of the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighter and said he had directed Boeing to "price out" a comparable version of the Super Hornet. It wasn't considered a serious request, as the F-35 is a fifth generation aircraft designed for stealth, and the Super Hornet is a fourth generation jet that's been flying off of aircraft carriers for 15 years and not as advanced as the F-35.

Lockheed later signed a deal for a new batch of F-35s at a lower price than the previous batch. Trump took credit for the lower price, but experts pointed out that the sale price had been trending downward anyway and the new price tag had been predicted last year.

In February, Trump raised eyebrows during a visit to the Boeing plant in South Carolina when he said "God bless Boeing" as he touted the rollout of the new 787-10 Dreamliner and teased a "big order" of Super Hornets coming.

And late last month, during a joint press conference with Finland President Sauli Niinisto, Trump falsely claimed that Finland was buying Hornets.

President Donald Trump with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at the White House, August 28, 2017. Thomson Reuters

"One of the things that is happening is you're purchasing large amounts of our great F-18 aircraft from Boeing, and it's one of the great planes, one of the great fighter jets, and you're purchasing lots of other military equipment, and, I think, purchasing very wisely," Trump said. "I know all of the military equipment and I actually agree with everything you purchased."

Except is wasn't true. Niinisto kept quiet during the press conference, but the next day told local reporters that Trump may have been confused by a contract Finland signed last year to upgrade its existing Hornets. Competition for a new fighter jet, in which Boeing is a contender, is still ongoing.

"It seems that on the sale side, past decisions and hopes about future decisions have mixed ... The purchase is just starting, and that is very clear here," Niinisto said.

Trump's boosterism of the Hornet program is a far cry from last summer, when he appeared to denigrate the airframe. During an interview with the Washington Post, Trump was distracted when Fox News reported that an F/A-18 had crashed.

"Oh, did they have another one of these things go down? It's terrible that crash. Never liked that plane, structurally. I never thought that plane could —," Trump said, before the interviewer asked about something else.

Since then, Trump's tune has changed. The reasons are unclear, beyond Trump's interest in boosting U.S. industry.

"It's unusual to see one president so obsessed with one aircraft," Aboulafia said. "It doesn't do any damage, since the Kuwaitis really seem to want Super Hornets.