US President Donald Trump pledged on Saturday to reduce the cost of the wall set to be constructed on the border between the United States and Mexico, Sputnik reported.
He cited the costs of F-35 fighter jet and the Air Force One programs as an example of his intervention leading to a lower price of the projects.
"I am reading that the great border WALL will cost more than the government originally thought, but I have not gotten involved in the design or negotiations yet. When I do, just like with the F-35 FighterJet or the Air Force One Program, price will come WAY DOWN!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
In January, Trump announced that the price of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program would be reduced by some $600 million following an agreement with Lockheed Martin, the US defense contractor in charge of the program. Trump has also discussed the possibility of reducing the cost of the new Air Force One Airplane with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
On January 25, Trump issued an executive order aimed at speeding up the construction of the wall along the US-Mexico border, delivering on his signature campaign pledge.
Trump’s demand that Mexico fully covers the cost of the border wall has prompted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a planned summit with Trump in Washington, DC which had been slated to be held earlier in February. The Mexican government has said it would not pay for the border wall.