Trump speaks out about nationwide flight shutdown after CNN's Dana Bash loses her cool demanding why president was 'missing'

Detailed summary

Following Friday's panic, the president finally made public comment on Sunday slamming the US Air Traffic Control system as CNN's Dana Bash demands to know why he was 'missing' amid the chaos.

Published: 17:27 GMT, 15 November 2026 | Updated: 17:29 GMT, 15 November 2026

President Donald Trump finally gave a public comment on the nationwide flight shutdown after CNN's Dana Bash lost her cool while asking Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy why he was 'missing' during the chaos.

Following Friday's panic, the president made a public statement on Sunday slamming the US Air Traffic Control system and blaming former president Joe Biden and the current outdated system for the outage.

'If Congress approves the desperately needed money for Air Traffic Control, we can get it built quickly and efficiently,' he wrote on Sunday morning.

'It will be the BEST SYSTEM anywhere in the world. Much of our current air control system is 50 years old - RIDICULOUS!

'We have already started the work, but it should be done all at once, not in drips and drabs. Congress must approve. The Biden Administration set it back years!'

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights in the US at around 4pm on Friday due to a communications failure at air traffic control centers.

A nationwide grounding hasn't occurred in the country since the September 11, 2001, attacks in NYC.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Congress for failing to fund a new system that could prevent such disruptions, calling for around $50 billion in funding.

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