Kelly Ortberg joined Donald Trump on a diplomatic trip to Beijing, China, this week as part of an elite business delegation. The trip immediately preceded reports of a massive potential deal for Boeing to sell up to 750 aircraft to the country.
On Up First, Tamara Keith highlighted the high stakes of the visit, noting that “more than a dozen big name corporate executives are traveling as part of the US delegation, including Apple's Tim Cook, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Kelly Ortberg, the CEO of Boeing.”
While the optics of the trip suggest a major win for Ortberg, analysts remain skeptical of the substance. Keith pointed out that “announcing big purchase agreements is a trademark of Trump foreign trips, but these things have often turned out to be less than meets the eye.”
All eyes will be on Ortberg when he takes the stage at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference on May 27. Investors will be looking for confirmation that the handshake deal in China is a binding reality rather than just a photo op.
