It was inevitable that after President Trump called Pete Buttigieg out during a press conference following the devastating air disaster at Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29—one that tragically claimed 67 lives—that the former Transportation Secretary would respond.
“The FAA, which was overseen by Secretary Pete Buttigieg—a real winner. This guy's a real winner,” Trump said, thick with sarcasm. “Do you know how badly everything's run since he's run this Department of Transportation? He's a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor. He ran his city into the ground, and he's a disaster. Now, he's just got a good line of bulls—t.”
Trump continued, “The Department of Transportation, his government agency, charged with regulating civil aviation, well, he runs it, 45,000 people, and he's run it right into the ground with his diversity.”
President Trump on former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: "A real winner. Do you know how badly everything has run since he's run the Department of Transportation. He's a disaster...he's just got a good line of bullshit." pic.twitter.com/TTYrtmFRRU
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 30, 2025
With renewed focus on the impact of diversity initiatives and DEI programs and their impact on aviation safety, Buttigieg responded in a post on X.
“Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch.”
This, of course, isn’t completely accurate. An Aug. 2023 investigation by the New York Times exposed a disturbing surge in near collisions at U.S. airports, raising serious safety concerns.
“So far [in 2023], close calls involving commercial airlines have been happening, on average, multiple times a week,” the Times reported after analyzing internal FAA records. In July 2023 alone, there were a staggering 46 near-misses involving commercial aircraft.
Buttigieg himself acknowledged that close calls and near collisions were “out of control” back in 2023.
In March of 2023 Pete Buttigieg acknowledged that close calls and near collisions were out of control.
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 31, 2025
Apparently they didn't do much to fix the problem because many more happened in 2023 and 2024 and then unfortunately the crash last night. pic.twitter.com/jOsx8I9eDp
A June 2023 Inspector General report also slammed Buttigieg’s FAA for severe staffing shortages and lack of planning. It found that 77% of critical facilities were understaffed, the FAA had no plan to fix the issue, and there was no guarantee enough air traffic controllers could be trained in time to maintain operations.
Related: So This is What the Army Isn't Telling Us About the Reagan Air Crash
The FAA itself acknowledged that staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and the volume of traffic,” a clear admission of a systemic problem—one that was no doubt exacerbated by the Biden administration’s misguided hiring practices, which prioritized diversity, resulting in thousands of highly qualified white applicants being denied jobs.
Joe Biden’s first pick to lead the FAA was also a blatant DEI hire named Phil Washington. During his confirmation hearings, it was revealed that Washington didn’t know anything about aviation, and couldn’t answer basic questions about standards or safety. He eventually had to withdraw his nomination, but guess who defended him? That’s right, Pete Buttigieg.
The FAA needs a confirmed Administrator, and Phil Washington’s transportation & military experience made him an excellent nominee. The partisan attacks and procedural obstruction he has faced are undeserved, but I respect his decision to withdraw and am grateful for his service.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) March 26, 2023
While Buttigieg had nothing but praise for a man who had no business leading the FAA (and, thankfully, didn’t) Buttigieg went on to blame Trump for Wednesday’s fatal midair collision.
For our VIPs: Everyone Knew DEI Would Cause a Crash
“President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe,” Buttigieg’s post continued. “Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again.”
Claims that Trump fired key personnel tasked with aviation safety have been debunked. While it’s very much on brand for a Democrat to peddle disinformation, it’s beyond irresponsible to do so.
Buttigieg should really consider shutting up. Trump didn’t just throw random accusations; he’s addressing genuine concerns about the failures of the FAA—a department that went to hell on Buttigieg’s watch.
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