Donald Trump has suggested Boeing should "rebrand" its grounded 737 Max fleet and give it "a new name" in the wake of two deadly crashes involving the jets.

The US president tweeted on Monday: "What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would fix the Boeing 737 Max, add some additional great features...rebrand the plane with a new name."

He added: "No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know?"

American manufacturer Boeing was forced to ground its new 737 Max series worldwide last month after one of its planes crashed minutes after take off in Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board. It followed a similar crash involving the model in Indonesia in October in which 189 people were killed.

Preliminary reports into the crashes suggests a flaw in the model's automation software was the cause of both tragedies. The reports have rocked the plane maker and prompted questions about how much Boeing knew about the software glitch in its best-selling aircraft.