Trump Blames Biden After Nationwide FAA Ground Stop Chaos
Updated 17:25 15 Nov 2026 GMTPublished 17:20 15 Nov 2026 GMT
It comes after US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the country's air traffic control system as ‘incredibly old’
Donald Trump has broken his silence on Friday's FAA ground stop chaos, and he's pointing the finger at none other than Joe Biden.
Thousands of flights were affected by a nationwide ground stop across the United States on Friday, and it was later disclosed that the disruption was caused by ageing technology used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), rather than evidence of a cyberattack, according to statements from the Department of Transportation.
Trump remained silent on the matter, with no Truth Social posts or no public appearances. Now, almost 48 hours later, the POTUS is breaking his silence on his social media platform.
"The Biden Administration was an FAA disaster. Everything they touched turned bad. Big money spent unwisely, making an old and broken system worse than when they began," he penned on Sunday morning.
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Airports across the United States descended into chaos on Friday (Photo by Apu GOMES / AFP via Getty Images)
"We have the knowledge and plan for the Flight Control Systems, we need Congress to give the money, FAST! Our FAA is doing a great job, and is ready to go. President DJT."
In a follow-up tweet, the president claimed that the country could have 'the BEST SYSTEM anywhere in the World' if Congress approves the 'desperately needed money for Air Traffic Control'.
"If Congress approves the desperately needed money for Air Traffic Control, we can get it built quickly and efficiently. It will be the BEST SYSTEM anywhere in the World," he penned.
"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! President DJT."
A lengthy article on posted on the White House's X account on Saturday, titled 'After Nationwide Ground Stop, Trump Admin Prioritizes Safety, Calls for Full Modernization Funding,' read: "Last night, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin briefed reporters after a nationwide FAA ground stop caused by instability in the nation’s decades-old air traffic control systems.
"The failure stemmed from overloaded 1980s-era equipment, with zero evidence of a cyberattack. President Trump has already secured $12.5 billion toward a full rebuild; the Administration is urging Congress to provide the remaining funding so this never happens again."
It went on to explain that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the disruption began at 3:36pm, when instability was detected across radar and communications systems at air traffic control centres and terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facilities around the country. At the time, more than 3,500 aircraft were in the air.
On the control system, he added: “What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system… The President, for the last year, has been asking Congress to fully fund a full build of a brand-new air traffic control system."
Further on, he explained: “We have old switches, old routers. We use 1980s little copper lines. It’s an old system that went down, and went down everywhere. It got overloaded.
"By the way, none of your networks run on 1980 technology. You all got fiber, state-of-the-art, high-speed networks… But not the FAA.”
The White House's X account also posted Trump's recent Truth Social post, along with the caption: "Congress must approve."
Featured Image Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, US News, Travel
