Staff Reports
Pete Buttigieg has once again proven that he is more adept at throwing tantrums than managing transportation. After President Trump took to the podium to comment on the tragic plane crash in Washington, D.C., Buttigieg was left furious. It’s no surprise that a man who turned a city into a wreck would be outraged when his disastrous record gets called out on a national stage, especially when lives are at stake.
In a heartfelt moment, Trump began the press conference with a somber acknowledgment of the tragedy—a horrific plane crash that claimed at least 28 lives. He extended condolences to grieving families before transitioning to a discussion about the previous leadership at the Department of Transportation under Buttigieg. Trump wasted no time hammering Buttigieg’s tenure, referring to him as a “disaster” and noting that everything has been poorly managed since he held the position. It’s hard to argue with that assessment when Buttigieg’s leadership was marked by near-disasters in aviation safety that made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Buttigieg, who is no stranger to social media meltdowns, soon took to X, expressing outrage and labeling Trump’s comments as “despicable.” His retort hinged on a claim that his administration achieved safety by reducing close calls and maintaining zero fatalities during flights on his watch. While it’s amusing to see Buttigieg posturing as a safety hero, the reality is that his administration coincided with a rise in alarming aviation incidents that left many on edge. Clearly, the numbers paint a different picture than the one he wished to present.
In a classic political move, Buttigieg attempted to shift the blame for the recent tragedy onto Trump, suggesting that the current president bears some responsibility due to personnel changes made to the FAA shortly after taking office. It’s remarkable that the former Transportation Secretary would think it sensible to attack a president with just nine days on the job while simultaneously ignoring the chaos he left behind during his time in office. Instead of taking sovereignty over the mess he created, Buttigieg seems determined to point fingers like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Buttigieg Furious After Trump Calls Him a ‘Disaster’ With a ‘Line of Bull’ During Crash Press Conferencehttps://t.co/yBoyCQfVhZ
— RedState (@RedState) January 30, 2025
The “close calls” his administration allegedly reduced were hardly much to boast about. Under his watch, multiple planes came alarmingly close to catastrophe, yet these incidents scarcely made headlines, perhaps due to the sheer quantity of them. From a Southwest jet nearly colliding with a FedEx plane to several other incidents showing just how close to disaster the skies had become, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Buttigieg’s oversight was synonymous with an aviation crisis.
If he wasn’t on paternity leave while the supply chain crisis worsened or focused on ridiculous measures like integrating gender equity in crash testing dummies, he might have stood a better chance at garnering some respect. Instead, he’s left to grumble from the sidelines, and the American public is left hoping that Trump and the new Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, can clean up the monumental mess he created. Buttigieg may shake his fist in indignation, but the adults are back in charge, and it’s about time.
