Trump Transportation Goon Suffers Humiliating Airport Crisis

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s $12.5 billion modernization effort got an awkward real-world test after an air traffic control outage caused chaos at major East Coast airports on Monday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rolled out artificial intelligence tools like the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories program—or SMART—to replace aging air traffic control infrastructure and better manage airspace congestion.

The former reality star appeared on PBS NewsHour to launch his new toy—an AI-powered air traffic management tool.

Duffy boasted about the unveiling on X, captioning a promo video full of whooshing and futuristic digital typing sounds, “COMING TOMORROW: America’s skies get SMARTER 👀.” The tool began a 90-day pilot at Washington, D.C.-area airports on Monday, but a major communications outage overshadowed the show-and-tell.

The Philadelphia TRACON facility, which guides arriving and departing traffic in the region, reported “radio frequency failures” and issued urgent ground stops at around 10 a.m. on Monday.

Philadelphia International, Newark Liberty, and Teterboro airports then faced significant delays and ground stops.

JFK and LaGuardia were also later affected.

Hundreds of flights across the U.S. were affected as planes couldn’t leave, and inbound flights were ordered to hold at their departure airports.

The disruption ultimately contributed to roughly 7,000 delayed or canceled flights nationwide, according to Reuters.

A passenger posted on Facebook that EWR was entirely shut down and he was stuck on a plane for three hours before heading back to the gate, according to The Daily Mail .

Others reported empty gates and stacked taxiways.

Flights were being diverted to Cleveland and other surrounding airports.

The FAA later said the affected telecommunications systems had been repaired, allowing flights to resume, although major delays and cancellations continued.

President Donald Trump was set to travel to New York City on Monday to meet with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.