By John Q. Hosedrinker 
The Trump administration is threatening to reduce air traffic at “high-volume” airports due to the ongoing government shutdown, potentially leading to flight cancellations and delays. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claims these measures are necessary to alleviate pressure on understaffed and unpaid air traffic controllers, placing blame on Democrats. The White House hopes to leverage this disruption to force a Republican-favorable resolution to the shutdown. However, the plan could backfire as the impacts will affect both Democrats and Republicans nationwide, potentially leading to bipartisan frustration over the issue.
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Let’s be clear: Trump thinks he can use canceled flights, long TSA lines, and the general chaos at airports to force the Democrats’ hand and end the government shutdown. He believes the inconvenience and frustration of air travel will be enough to turn public opinion against the Democrats and pressure them into capitulation. But the reality is, he’s wrong.
First off, Trump seems to be playing a dangerous game of chaos and blame. He’s the one who declared the shutdown, and now he’s trying to shift the responsibility. His playbook is predictable: create a crisis, then blame his political opponents. He wants his base to eat it all up, but his base is a shrinking minority.
The thing is, Trump thrives on chaos. He’s not interested in solving problems; he’s interested in creating them and then exploiting them for his own gain. It is a cynical strategy that ultimately harms the American people. He’s using the suffering of Americans to benefit himself and his wealthy friends. He views American people as his bargaining chips. He wants to create this problem and blame it on his opponents to gain leverage in a political game.
The impact of this shutdown will be far-reaching, and the consequences of the long lines, canceled flights, and airport chaos will be felt across the country. It’s not just about inconvenience. It’s about the economic cost, the emotional toll, and the erosion of public trust in government. His actions are not only damaging, they are deeply unpopular. Polls show that the majority of Americans hold Trump and the GOP responsible for the shutdown, a fact that is not likely to change as the situation worsens.
The Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes flights to small, rural communities, is a prime example of the shutdown’s impact. The DOT had to raid other programs to keep the funding running, but these small areas will lose their air service to major hubs. This is a program that disproportionately benefits the GOP’s rural constituents. Trump’s actions will hurt the very people he claims to represent.
Trump’s strategy seems to be based on the idea that the disruption will force the Democrats to give in. He seems to hope that people will be so desperate to travel for the holidays that they will pressure the Democrats to concede. He may believe that the problems in airports will be a tipping point. However, this is a miscalculation. The disruption caused by the shutdown will fuel public anger, and that anger will be directed at the Republicans.
His focus on creating problems and then blaming others for them is just more of the same. His proposed “healthcare plan” is another example of his ineptitude, a plan that he has had years to refine but still hasn’t. The Democrats aren’t going to just cave on the healthcare subsidies. If he thinks that all the canceled flights and the economic hardship that comes with them is going to somehow lead to this major shift is highly unlikely.
And his actions also highlight his detachment from the realities of everyday life. He can’t understand that most Americans simply can’t afford to fly, or that they only do it infrequently.
The more people struggle, the more time they will have to reflect and the more anger they will feel. People are not going to look favorably on the GOP for shutting down the government.
He doesn’t realize, or care, that the real damage is to his own base. His actions have consequences, and it is the American people who will bear the burden. He can’t negotiate his way out of a paper bag. He can’t get out of his own way, and his continued insistence on his own infallibility will only prolong the pain.