WATCH: Delta CEO Shuts Down Gayle King’s Suggestion That Trump Is To Blame For Crashes

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Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian strongly rejected CBS’s Gayle King’s attempt to link the Trump administration’s FAA staffing changes to recent aviation incidents. During Wednesday’s interview on CBS Mornings, King pressed Bastian about whether the Trump administration’s decision to cut certain FAA positions had compromised air travel safety.

Bastian, however, made it clear that the concerns were misplaced.

“The cuts do not affect us, Gayle,” Bastian said. “I’ve been in close communication with the Secretary of Transportation. I understand that the cuts at this time are something that are raising questions, but the reality is there’s over 50,000 people that work at the FAA and the cuts, I understand, were 300 people, and they were in non-critical safety functions.”

“The Trump administration has committed to investing deeply in terms of improving the overall technologies that are used in the air traffic control systems and modernizing the skies,” he said. “They’ve committed to hiring additional controllers and investigators and safety investigators. So no, I’m not concerned with that at all.”

The exchange comes as Delta and one of its regional affiliates, Endeavor Air, face scrutiny following a serious aviation mishap. On Monday, a Delta-operated flight flipped upside down upon landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport amid heavy winds.

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The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ900LR traveling from Minneapolis, overturned during the touchdown under harsh weather conditions characterized by powerful winds and lingering snow from a previous storm. Of the 80 people on board, 21 sustained injuries, though no fatalities were reported.

Eyewitnesses recounted a turbulent landing where the aircraft skidded off course and flipped, briefly igniting before all passengers and crew were rapidly evacuated by emergency teams. Video of the crash shows flames erupting from the aircraft as one of its wings breaks off, with the fuselage ultimately coming to rest on its roof.

The incident halted operations at Pearson for several hours.

While severe weather was a factor, critics have pointed to Endeavor Air’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a potential contributor to safety concerns. Resurfaced social media posts from 2022 show Endeavor celebrating an all-female crew with an ill-advised caption: “Buckle up ladies and gentlemen, your flight is unmanned today. #girlpower”

On its website, Endeavor Air emphasizes its DEI commitment, stating that it aims to “promote diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the airline and our operation.” Ironically, its DEI statement appears directly above a pledge to “put safety first—always.”

Monday’s crash in Toronto is just the latest in a series of troubling incidents involving Delta. Earlier this month, a Delta aircraft collided with a Japan Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner while taxiing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Although no injuries were reported, passengers were shaken.



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