Staff Reports
In a recent encounter with CBS News, Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian deftly navigated a loaded question from Gayle King, who attempted to pin the blame for aviation mishaps on President Trump’s administration. With the Democrats trying to serve up the classic “gotcha” narrative, Bastian dismissed their attempts as nothing more than partisan theatrics. As the airline industry coolly blows off the Dems’ blame game, it seems that the “sky is falling” rhetoric may just be hitting some turbulence.
With the recent Toronto incident where a Delta flight had the gall to land upside down, one might think it would be easy for critics to jump on the “Trump’s cuts are dangerous” bandwagon. However, Bastian assured everyone that the federal employment cuts, which reportedly slashed about 300 positions from the FAA, have not disrupted airline safety or operations. Bastian’s assessment was straightforward; besides, in a world of 50,000 FAA employees, a 300-person reduction hardly spells disaster. It’s almost as if he assumes that the airplane flying Americans around has more safety it’s equipped with than the carnival rides at a county fair.
DELTA CEO COMPLETELY VINDICATES TRUMP: “[Trump’s FAA] cuts do not affect us. I've been in close communication with the Secretary of Transportation. I understand that the, the cuts at this time are something that are raising questions, but the reality is there's over 50,000 people… pic.twitter.com/jqPvAkqo79
— Jessica 🇺🇸 (@RealJessica05) February 19, 2025
The chief executive of Delta further suggested that his faith in Trump’s administration is as solid as an airplane wing. Bastian pointed out that while Democrats like Chuck Schumer paint a dystopian view of air travel, the reality is that the administration is actively working to improve infrastructure and ensure safety through new hiring practices for air traffic controllers and tech upgrades. The notion that cuts to “non-critical safety functions” pose a real threat is just smoke and mirrors, a classic Democratic strategy to evoke fear rather than facts.
The timing of these accusations seems suspicious given the context of recent aviation accidents, which have rattled the American public. From a tragic crash in D.C. to others in Alaska and Philadelphia, one can’t help but notice that these events coincide with attempts to shift the narrative away from the real problems plaguing the FAA—namely the challenges of hiring and maintaining a diverse workforce that actually works efficiently rather than one that seeks to tick boxes on a list.
Interestingly, while the Democrats are trying to frighten the masses into believing flying is now more precarious than an afternoon drive on the freeway, Bastian insists that air travel remains one of the safest ways to get around. He contrasted the events of Monday’s terrifying crash with the everyday dangers drivers face on the road. In a tongue-in-cheek manner, he reminded everyone that their daily commutes probably come with a higher risk value than flying with Delta. While political adversaries scramble to cast doubt on aviation safety, Bastian has clearly re-established that facts—especially those grounded in logic—trump fearmongering every time.
