In a sense, when you think of Trump’s planes, ground security, and even the security at his oceanside resorts, it is almost as if he’s already had a mini-airforce, army, marines, intelligence agencies, etc.
To be fair, his planes aren’t particularly suitable for carrying the president, lacking the communications and air-defense systems generally used, and a retrofit would be expensive.
But I strongly agree with the article: it’s a brilliant negotiating strategy on his part. Cast yourself as an iconoclast, a bit of a bull in a china shop, and when you threaten to cancel things, people believe that you actually will. They can’t rely on the “he wouldn’t dare!” fallback. Meaning they have to give in in order to cut their losses - giving a favorable deal is better than losing a whole contract.