Of all the crises gripping the American aviation industry, Donald Trump has chosen to throw his weight behind one issue above all else: the delivery of his new Air Force One. I read about this in The New York Times, then I did a stern head shake.
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I got to thinking about two plane crashes, several near misses of planes on runways, a couple of flights that did emergency landings because of smoke in their cabins, and of course Elon Musk targeting the Federal Aviation Administration in his attempt to put us all in further danger than we already are by laying off FAA employees while the airlines self-combust.
According to the Times article, frustrated with Boeing’s delays, Trump has reportedly enlisted Musk’s help to speed up production, desperate to get his hands on the customized aircraft before the next election.
While commercial passengers face a growing onslaught of aviation disasters, planes skidding off runways, colliding with helicopters, hazy cabins, jumping over each other and around each other on tarmacs, and an air traffic control system buckling under the weight of staff shortages, Trump’s primary concern is whether he’ll get to soar over his next rally in a brand-new, taxpayer-funded jet. Gilded to the gills!
Apparently Trump’s anger at Boeing has been simmering for months, according to the Times. The company had already been struggling with production delays and cost overruns, and Trump, never one to accept that reality might be more complicated than his whims, has been demanding faster results. Initially slated for delivery in 2024, the new fleet of Air Force One planes will likely not be ready until 2027 or later.
Unwilling to accept that timeline, Trump has gone so far as to suggest buying souped-up luxury planes to serve as Air Force One in the meantime. Now, Musk has been pulled into the project, using his influence to push Boeing to cut corners and “streamline” the process. Note to the press pool: For your own safety, do not fly on the new Air Force One.
A crane is seen from Virginia as it removes airplane wreckage from the Potomac River, where American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a US military Black Hawk helicopter, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on February 3, 2025.Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The obsession with his personal aircraft comes at a time when American aviation is in crisis. Just this year, a helicopter and a small plane collided mid-air over the Potomac River, plunging into the frigid waters below. In Toronto, an American Airlines plane skidded off the runway and flipped onto its belly, sending shockwaves through an industry that has been teetering on the brink of catastrophe for months.
And there’s more. On Wednesday, a small plane crashed in Vermont. And last week, two small planes crashed in Arizona.
In Washington, D.C., a near-disaster unfolded at Reagan National Airport when an American Airlines flight had to abort landing at the last second to avoid colliding with a departing plane. On Tuesday, at Chicago’s Midway Airport, a Southwest flight barely avoided catastrophe when a business jet mistakenly rolled onto an active runway just as the passenger jet was coming in to land. Meanwhile, earlier this week, a Delta flight departing Atlanta was forced into an emergency landing when the cabin filled with smoke, sending terrified passengers scrambling to evacuate via emergency slides.
These are not isolated incidents or coincidences. They are part of a larger pattern of systemic failures.
At the heart of the problem is the country’s air traffic control system, which is understaffed, overworked, and facing a personnel crisis that has only worsened under Musk’s aggressive push to slash government budgets. The Federal Aviation Administration has warned for years that a shortage of air traffic controllers increases the likelihood of catastrophic accidents, yet funding for training and hiring has repeatedly been placed on the chopping block.
Instead of investing in safety, Trump has prioritized making aviation easier for himself and his wealthy friends while leaving ordinary passengers to navigate an increasingly dangerous system.
Boeing, for its part, is already in crisis. The company has been plagued by high-profile failures, including the recent emergency landing of an Alaska Airlines flight when part of the fuselage ripped off mid-air. It is still reeling from the fallout of its 737 MAX debacle, which led to two deadly crashes and exposed deep-rooted problems in the company’s safety culture.
And yet, instead of demanding that Boeing fix its issues to prevent further tragedies, Trump is pushing them to rush production on his personal plane. Again, at his direction, it’s gilded to the gills.
The Times also pointed out that the financial mismanagement surrounding the Air Force One project is equally appalling. Originally projected to cost $3.9 billion, the program’s price tag has ballooned due to delays, design changes, and the kind of inefficiencies that Trump himself loves to rail against, except when it comes to his own luxuries.
Boeing has reported over $2 billion in losses on the project, a staggering amount for a pair of planes that will ultimately serve one man. Trump’s claim to be a champion of fiscal responsibility falls apart when faced with his determination to funnel billions into an expedited vanity project.
It’s cut the heads off of middle-class families with indiscriminate and inexplicable layoffs, but make sure the shower heads in Air Force One are gold plated or be damned.
Bringing in Musk only makes matters worse. Musk’s track record at Tesla and SpaceX is littered with aggressive cost-cutting measures, rushed production schedules, and an outright disregard for worker safety. Now he’s pushing for Boeing to remove “production bottlenecks” and “modernize” the process, which in Musk’s world usually translates to union-busting and ignoring safety regulations.
The Times reported that he has even floated the idea of relaxing security clearance requirements for workers on the Air Force One project. This reckless suggestion could compromise national security.
At a time when American air travel is more dangerous than it has been in decades, when passengers are holding their breath every time their plane makes its descent, when families are still grieving those lost in preventable aviation disasters, Trump has made his priorities clear. It’s not about safety. It’s not about fixing a broken system. It’s about his plane.
And if Boeing, Musk, and the rest of Trump's billionaire allies have to gut aviation safety to make it happen faster, so be it. While planes crash, near misses pile up, and the system crumbles under its own weight, Trump is focused on one thing, and that’s making sure he has the best seat in the sky.
A crane is seen from Virginia as it removes airplane wreckage from the Potomac River, where American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a US military Black Hawk helicopter, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, on February 3, 2025.Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
