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WME executive chairman Ari Emanuel publicly blamed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday after a nationwide FAA ground stop brought air traffic across the United States to a halt. Emanuel took to X to criticize Buttigieg’s four-year tenure, arguing that the former secretary failed to modernize the FAA despite having both the time and the funding to do so.
Emanuel Targets Buttigieg on Social Media
In his post, Emanuel wrote: “No one’s hands are clean here. However, Mr. Secretary Buttigieg, you had four years in the job and infrastructure money, yet made zero progress modernizing the FAA. You left a failing system in place. THANKS!” The message drew immediate and widespread attention online.
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Buttigieg served as Transportation Secretary throughout the Biden administration before leaving office at its conclusion. His departure came well before Friday’s disruption, a fact that many online commenters were quick to point out.
Current Secretary Defends Response
Shortly after the flight stop lifted on Friday evening, current Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the public. He called on Congress to provide modernization funding. “I can’t build things if I don’t have money,” Duffy said. “We should talk to our senators and members of Congress to say, ‘We don’t deserve this.'”
Duffy also acknowledged that ongoing upgrade work may have contributed to instability in the air control system. However, he argued that inaction carried greater risks. “By doing nothing, you inject way more risk into the system,” he said. He also admitted he had not anticipated an outage of this scale.
Public Reaction Pushes Back on Emanuel
Emanuel’s post attracted more than 3,000 comments, with many users questioning why he directed blame at a former official. “Yeah, let’s blame the guys from two-plus years ago when the FAA has been a burning dumpster fire since Duffy stepped into office,” one commenter wrote.
Another user challenged the timing of the criticism. “Did someone hack your account? Two years into a new administration and no specific evidence yet as to what failed. And your first go-to is blaming Buttigieg?” the commenter said.
Some observers also noted a potential political motive. One commenter pointed to Ari Emanuel’s brother, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is reportedly positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run. “I know your goal here is to attack one of your brother’s presidential rivals, but I am certain it will backfire in the eyes of Democratic primary voters,” the commenter said.
Buttigieg Responds From Denver Airport
Meanwhile, Buttigieg found himself stranded at Denver International Airport during the disruption. After watching a press conference featuring Secretary Duffy and Senator Markwayne Mullin, Buttigieg spoke to the New York Times. He stopped short of a direct statement. “You can just write down the comic book asterisk swearing characters,” he told the paper. “I have questions.”
