Trump’s Atrocious Hiring Skills Prove Deeply Problematic at the FAA
On This Day In 2019
It was a critical time for the FAA. What should be the proper American response? On a day with clear blue skies, a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed in Indonesia, under unusual circumstances, resulting in the loss of 189 souls. The eyes of the world were upon American regulators; it was imperative that the FAA diagnose the situation accurately and professionally. So there was lots of pressure on the head of the FAA to get it right. Who was that leader atop the FAA at that time? Um…nobody.
Nearly three years after being voted into office, Trump simply hadn’t bothered to appoint anyone yet to the job full-time who could get approved. He had tried to install his own personal airplane pilot in that role, but that guy was unqualified.
The consequences were dire: The agency struggled to get it right. They issued some advisory notices to airlines and then allowed the Max 8 to continue flying. But clearly that was inadequate, as a similar tragedy struck a second Max 8 only 4+ months later.
And after the second crash, which was caused by the same flawed software they didn’t get fixed after the first crash, the FAA still allowed that model plane to fly--even though other nations had removed them from service. Finally, in typical Trumpian fashion, and in disregard for protocol, Trump himself haphazardly broke the news that the planes would be grounded. That pulled the rug out from under federal aviation officials who were preparing a comprehensive announcement.
Was the "headless," "rudderless" situation at this agency unique? Sadly, no. This FAA position was one of nearly 150 key Senate-confirmed roles for which Trump had failed to put forward a qualified nominee.
And, as the WaPo noted, all three positions in the "office of the FAA administrator" were being occupied by placeholder people on temporary bases.
OTDI 2019, Trump finally proposed a new full-time FAA administrator that the Senate could actually confirm, but perhaps it was too little too late.
Bonus Trump vanity: Trump saw the issue through a narcissistic, consumerist lens. His main talking point was that the Boeing 737 Max “sucked” compared to his own private jet, an aging Boeing 757.
2024 update: It was Trump’s third chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who noted that Trump, despite his supposed business acumen, was unable to hire properly. Nothing has changed since then. Turns out he may already be regretting his choice of JD Vance?!
Dive Deeper
The Washington Post reported on the saga
The always-eloquent @chrislu44, Obama’s United States Deputy Secretary of Labor, summarized this well in one tweet
Forbes details Mulvaney's evaluation of Trump's hiring skills
The loss of lives in air crashes if further testament to Trump’s inadequacies. Yet sadly, no one could stop his destruction.