President Donald Trump has yet to comment publicly on the Federal Aviation Administration’s rare nationwide ground stop, even as the agency halted flights across the country Friday. Instead, he cleared his public schedule and posted about his proposal to “save” Hollywood.
The FAA ordered the nationwide pause Friday afternoon, citing “extraordinary circumstances for safety reasons” and throwing the weekend travel plans of thousands of passengers into disarray.
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) announced the decision at 3:54 p.m. ET.
At about 5:52 p.m. ET, Trump turned to Truth Social to discuss his goal of “making our entertainment industry great again.” He said he was working with lawmakers from both parties on the Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalization Act.
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins criticized the timing of the post on X, writing: “Trump posts, not about the ground stop, but about reviving the entertainment industry in bipartisan fashion.”
Trump’s public schedule showed only “Executive Time” at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with no other official events listed.
As passengers waited for updates on their delayed flights, the Department of Labor’s X account shared an image of Trump giving a thumbs-up, paired with the caption: “That Friday feeling.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials had found no evidence of a threat to the United States. He described the disruption as a “communication outage” and dismissed comparisons with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
President Donald Trump posted about his plan to “make our entertainment industry great again” while the FAA’s nationwide ground stop remained in effect Friday afternoon
The nationwide halt was the first since January 11, 2023, when a malfunction shut down a key FAA computer system
“This isn’t the same comparison to 9/11,” Mullin told reporters outside the White House on Friday. “That’s a road I won’t go down.”
The stoppage marked the first nationwide flight halt since January 11, 2023, when a critical FAA computer system failed. It was also only the second such disruption since the September 11 attacks.
While travelers sought answers, Trump continued posting about Hollywood, saying the industry had been “emptied out.”
“Everyone feels strongly about the Motion Picture and Television Industry — and so do I, and we all want to save it,” he wrote. “It was MADE IN AMERICA, and must STAY IN AMERICA.”
Trump also used Truth Social to praise the US Coast Guard for responding after a boat capsized in the Mississippi River shortly after noon, injuring 32 passengers.
Democratic members of the House Committee on Homeland Security criticized the administration’s handling of the flight disruption in a post on X.
“What the hell is going on?” the account posted. “Trump and his cabinet are completely out of their depth.”
The FAA said Friday that a temporary telecommunications failure had prompted the action. “Out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted,” the agency said.
“Every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis.”
The communications failure behind the nationwide ground stop does not appear to be connected to the FAA’s newly introduced AI-powered system
By Friday evening, officials had not provided a clear timetable for resuming flights, leaving thousands of passengers facing disrupted weekend travel
The communications issue does not appear to have been caused by the FAA’s new artificial intelligence-powered system, which is being introduced to help identify potential problems in the nation’s airspace.
Known as SMART, the FAA system operates from a single site near Washington, DC. There, specialists assess flight schedules, weather conditions and hundreds of other data streams.
The office then forwards its recommendations to the FAA command center, which communicates them to air traffic controllers around the country for consideration.
ASI, the company that developed SMART, said the ground stop “is not based on or a result of the SMART system, any product of ASI or our integration with FAA and ATC.”
Mullin also said he saw “no reason to connect” Friday’s disruption with the worldwide Microsoft outage reported the previous day, which left millions of users unable to access the company’s subscription services.
Microsoft likewise said it had no evidence linking its service disruption to the nationwide flight halt.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the outage was affecting regional air traffic control centers responsible for directing aircraft between airports.
Duffy said FAA technicians were working to identify the problem, but officials still had not offered a timeline for when normal operations would resume.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said officials had found no evidence of a US threat and rejected comparisons with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks
The FAA said international flights entering the United States would be assessed individually
MS NOW correspondent Eugene Daniels said stranded travelers were surprised that Trump had not spoken about the FAA ground stop, according to Mediaite.
Appearing on the MS NOW program Deadline: White House, Daniels said passengers wanted to hear directly from the president as the disruption unfolded.
“Obviously, we heard from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, but folks are looking to hear more information from the leader of the free world, as this is shaking out,” Daniels said.
“As I’ve walked and talked with people … what they would say to me was they are shocked that they have not heard from the president in front of the camera,” he added.
Daniels said one passenger told him the lack of information from the administration was “disturbing.”
Europe’s aviation authority suspended departures bound for the United States at the FAA’s request, beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern time Friday and continuing until midnight.
Mexico’s federal aviation agency also announced that all scheduled flights from Mexican airports to the US had been temporarily grounded.
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House for comment.
This is a developing story. More to come.