Fact Check: Trump Administration Did NOT Fire 3,000 Air Traffic Controllers One Week Before Fatal Flight 5342 Collision

Fact Check

  • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
Fact Check: Trump Administration Did NOT Fire 3,000 Air Traffic Controllers One Week Before Fatal Flight 5342 Collision No Such Action

Did President Donald Trump fire 3,000 air traffic controllers one week before the fatal American Airlines Flight 5342 collision with a military helicopter? No, that's not true: A White House spokesperson told Lead Stories they had not fired any air traffic controllers as of publication date. Trump did direct the head of the Federal Aviation Administration to end "DEI hiring programs," but did not order the firing of 3,000 air traffic controllers.

The claim appeared in a post on X on January 30, 2025 (archived here) that read:

Trump fired 400 FAA senior officials, the TSA head, and 3,000 air traffic controllers just 8 days ago. Policy choices have consequences.

Today, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a Blackhawk over the Potomac, killing 65 Americans.

This is the Trump #PlaneCrash #AA5342

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

Screen Shot 2025-01-30 at 12.16.55 PM.png

(Source: X screenshot taken by Lead Stories on January 30 at 17:43:02 2025 UTC)

The social media post included a screenshot of a fact sheet (archived here) that was published by the White House on January 22, 2025, and made no mention of firing 3,000 air traffic controllers. The edict from the president was to "immediately stop Biden DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring" and review past performance and performance standards of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees. However, it did not order the firing of air traffic controllers.

"We have not fired any air traffic controllers," a White House spokesperson told Lead Stories via email on January 30, 2025.

The presidential memorandum, titled "FACT SHEET: PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP ENDS DEI MADNESS AND RESTORES EXCELLENCE AND SAFETY WITHIN THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION," read:

FLIGHTS SHOULD BE SUPERVISED BY THE BEST EMPLOYEES: President Donald J. Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum terminating a Biden Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hiring policy that prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) over safety and efficiency.

  • This Presidential Memorandum orders the Secretary of Transportation and FAA Administrator to immediately stop Biden DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.
  • It also requires the FAA Administrator to review the past performance and performance standards of all FAA employees in critical safety positions and make clear that any individual who fails to demonstrate adequate capability is replaced by someone who will ensure Americans' flight safety and efficiency.
  • ... President Trump is immediately terminating this illegal and dangerous program and requiring that all FAA hiring be based solely on ensuring the safety of airline passengers and overall job excellence. ...

Trump did fire the head of the Transportation Security Administration and removed all the members of an aviation security advisory group, the Associated Press reported (archived here) on January 21, 2025.

A Google News search (archived here) of the phrase, "Trump fired 3,000 air traffic controllers," did not find any credible news reports of the firing.

The Department of Transportation press office directed Lead Stories to the FAA for questions about the crash.

Lead Stories also requested comment from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and will update this story if and when we receive a response.

Flight background

American Airlines reported (archived here) that a Bombardier CRJ700 plane (Flight 5342), flying for their regional airline American Eagle, was involved in an accident over the Potomac River on January 29, 2025, around 9 p.m. EST while approaching Reagan National Airport. According to the FAA (archived here), the plane collided with an Army UH-60 helicopter carrying three crewmembers.

Read more

More Lead Stories fact checks on claims concerning the Flight 5342 plane and helicopter crash can be found here.

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  Alexis Tereszcuk

Alexis Tereszcuk is a writer and fact checker at Lead Stories and an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade breaking hard news and celebrity scoop with RadarOnline and Us Weekly.

As the Entertainment Editor, she investigated Hollywood stories and conducted interviews with A-list celebrities and reality stars.  

Alexis’ crime reporting earned her spots as a contributor on the Nancy Grace show, CNN, Fox News and Entertainment Tonight, among others.

Read more about or contact Alexis Tereszcuk

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