FACT CHECK: Trump Tries to Blame Dwarfs for American Airlines Crash
Fact-Checking Trump’s Lies About the FAA and Airline Safety
Donald Trump has once again taken to social media to spread misinformation—this time about the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its hiring practices. In his latest attack, Trump falsely claimed that the FAA hires air traffic controllers with severe disabilities, including hearing and vision impairments. His remarks, laced with inflammatory language, attempt to stoke fear about airline safety. Let’s break down the facts.
Claim #1: Trump Blames Disabled People and "Dwarfs" for FAA Hiring Issues
What Trump Said:
"As a matter of policy, as identified for special emphasis in recruitment and hiring, the FAA’s website states that hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism all qualify for the position of a controller of airplanes pouring into our country."
The Truth:
This is misleading and taken out of context. Trump’s statement suggests that the FAA actively recruits individuals with serious physical and intellectual disabilities to work as air traffic controllers. However, the policy he references has been in place since at least 2013 under the Obama administration and remained unchanged throughout Trump’s own presidency. This can be verified through records on the Internet Archive.
Moreover, the FAA follows federal equal opportunity employment laws, which require agencies to be inclusive and not discriminate against applicants based on disabilities. However, this does not mean that all listed disabilities qualify someone to be an air traffic controller. The FAA has strict medical and performance requirements, ensuring that controllers are fully capable of handling the demands of the job.
Verdict: Misleading and Fearmongering
Claim #2: The FAA Hires Visually and Hearing-Impaired Air Traffic Controllers
What Trump Said:
Trump implies that air traffic controllers can be visually or hearing impaired while directing aircraft, insinuating that this is part of a misguided diversity push.
The Truth:
This claim is completely false. The FAA has clear medical requirements for air traffic controllers, which include:
Excellent vision: Controllers must pass a vision exam, ensuring they have at least 20/20 vision (corrected or uncorrected) and full color perception.
Normal hearing: Controllers must pass an audiometric test to ensure they can hear and interpret radio communications from pilots and other controllers.
There is zero evidence that the FAA hires individuals with significant hearing or vision impairments as air traffic controllers. While the FAA employs about 43,000 people, only around 30% of them work as air traffic controllers. The agency also hires thousands of other professionals, including engineers, technicians, and administrative staff—some of whom may have disabilities that don’t affect their ability to perform their duties.
Trump’s claim is not just false—it’s dangerous. It undermines public trust in air traffic safety and disrespects the thousands of professionals who ensure America’s airspace remains the safest in the world.
Verdict: Completely False
The Bottom Line
Trump’s comments about the FAA and air traffic controllers are a blatant attempt to mislead the public. He misrepresents longstanding equal employment policies, falsely claims that the FAA employs visually and hearing-impaired controllers, and uses inflammatory rhetoric to stir fear.
Air traffic controllers must meet rigorous medical and performance standards before taking on one of the most stressful jobs in the world. The FAA’s safety regulations are among the strictest globally, and Trump’s claims only serve to spread misinformation and unnecessary panic.
Thank you for being someone who still has enough energy to “fight back” against all the nonsense that comes out of Trump’s mouth. It’s absolutely dumbfounding.
When a pilot says, “I have [traffic] in site”, then it is pilot error. I’m not saying there is not other issues at hand. I’m not the NTSB. Im also not trying to be an armchair speculator. I’m just saying that it has nothing to do with the ATC hiring process. That’s an insult to all my highly qualified and capable friends that work for ATC.