Donald Trump just took credit for the zero air travel deaths in 2017, but he had nothing to do with it
The year 2017 saw an abrupt shift in policy in the White House under President Donald Trump. But Trump, not known for his humility, has often claimed responsibility even for changes made before he took office. Today, January 2nd, Trump took credit for the air travel safety record in 2017.
According to a report published by the Aviation Safety Network, 2017 was the safest on record for air travel. Zero people died in commercial passenger jet crashes, and 44 people died in crashes involving cargo and small propeller planes. Dutch consulting firm To70 estimated the rate of fatal commercial passenger airline accidents as one in every 16 million flights.
Trump wasted no time in bragging that he was responsible for this record.
"Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation," he tweeted. "Good news — it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!"
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/948195478428102657
Trump is known for misrepresenting the truth — in fact, in his tenure as president, he has told 1,950 falsehoods so far. And the president’s tweet about air travel safety is no exception; the president has done little to change the way we fly. Although Trump announced plans to privatize air traffic control in June, his proposal was unsuccessful. The Senate killed the measure about two weeks after Trump introduced it.
It’s also worth noting that there hasn’t been a fatal accident on a U.S.-certified commercial passenger flight since 2009 — when President Barack Obama had just begun his first term. In response, Obama signed the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act into law in 2010.
Trump’s latest tweet claiming responsibility for something he didn’t do is nothing new — it simply shows the president’s need for constant praise. But regardless, we’re glad to live in such a safe era for flying, and we commend the aviation industry for all their work in keeping us safe.
