Buttigieg Responds To Comments Made By President Trump

The midair collision over Washington, D.C., that claimed 67 lives was a moment that demanded leadership, clarity, and accountability. Instead, it has turned into a political back-and-forth, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg scrambling to deflect blame after President Trump eviscerated his tenure at the Department of Transportation.

During a Thursday press briefing, Trump didn’t hold back, taking direct aim at Buttigieg’s record:

“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—.”

Blunt? Yes. But also painfully accurate.

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has long been more about image than substance. His 2020 presidential campaign ran on well-rehearsed platitudes, and when Biden tapped him for the Transportation Department, it was widely seen as a favor rather than a choice based on qualifications. And sure enough, his tenure was defined by one transportation disaster after another.

Remember the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment? Buttigieg ignored it for weeks before reluctantly showing up. The supply chain crisis that left store shelves empty? Buttigieg disappeared on paternity leave while Americans scrambled to buy basic goods.

And now, after years of near-miss aviation disasters under his watch, a deadly collision occurs, and he has the audacity to blame Trump—who has been in office for just over a week.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Buttigieg fired back, calling Trump’s remarks “despicable” and attempting to rewrite history:

“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.”

Zero commercial airline fatalities? That’s because the near-miss incidents skyrocketed under his watch before he quietly stopped talking about them. Between late 2022 and early 2023, there were multiple close calls, including:

  • A Southwest passenger jet nearly colliding with a FedEx cargo plane in Austin.
  • A Delta jet forced to slam the brakes to avoid an American Airlines plane in New York.
  • A United Airlines flight that came seconds away from plunging into the ocean after takeoff in Maui.

Under Buttigieg, aviation safety eroded to the point where near-misses became so frequent that the media stopped covering them out of sheer exhaustion. And now, when an actual disaster happens, he wants to blame Trump?

Buttigieg went on to claim that Trump had “fired and suspended” key FAA personnel responsible for air safety. But here’s the reality: Trump is cleaning up Buttigieg’s mess.

For years, the FAA has struggled with chronic staffing shortages, outdated technology, and hiring practices driven more by diversity quotas than competence. Trump, upon returning to office, is trying to overhaul an agency that Buttigieg left in shambles. The idea that a hiring freeze from eight days ago somehow caused this crash is laughable—but that’s the level of spin Buttigieg is resorting to.

Amidst all this, reports suggest Buttigieg is now eyeing a U.S. Senate run in Michigan. A failed mayor. A disastrous Transportation Secretary. And now, he thinks he deserves a Senate seat?

“Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve,” a source told Fox News.

Helpful? Helpful to whom? Certainly not to the residents of East Palestine. Not to airline passengers who endured years of declining safety standards. And certainly not to Michigan, which deserves better than another career politician who talks a good game but delivers nothing.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here