President Trump’s White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs, James Blair, complained Thursday about being delayed for a flight. He wrote on social media: “Today, American Airlines delays me 2.5 hours because someone failed to notice empty hydraulic fluid before it was time to go down the runway. Yesterday, they apparently forgot to BOOK A PILOT for my wife’s flight. I’m going to take a new interest in the airline industry.”
Blair’s complaint triggered snarky comments from Trump critics including “You should talk to @SecDuffy. Maybe he’ll take a break from doing pull-ups at airport gates and do his job.” Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg replied, “Um.”
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 26, 2026
Buttigieg, who helped pass legislation so passengers were compensated by airlines for such delays — initiatives the Trump administration rolled back — added the suggestion: “You could begin by restoring the passenger rights work you rolled back – and then seriously enforce airline laws, like we did. Trust me, it gets results!”
Note: A man named Daniel Erickson also replied to Blair: “As an airline pilot, I can assure you a hydraulic levels were not unnoticed. Also, not a single airline ‘forgets’ to book pilots for trips. I don’t know who James Blair is, but he has no idea how airlines work.”
The pilot added of Blair, “Based on his post, he should consider brushing up on what he thinks he’s railing against. His complaint was comically silly. He may well have been inconvenienced, but for reasons other than his complaint.”
