A Delta Air Lines passenger was kicked off of a flight leaving Sarasota, Florida because of their Donald Trump t-shirt.
Another passenger complained about the shirt, which depicted Trump extending his middle fingers captioned “Hawk Tuah Spit On That Thang.” Airline staff informed the man that he would need to change his shirt if he wanted to fly. He turned it inside out so that the image wasn’t visible, then boarded the aircraft.
However once ensconced at his seat he “flipped his shirt back to the decal side.” In response, he was removed from the aircraft.
Dude kicked off flight bc of his Trump shirt!
byu/SKBeachGirl indelta
While the flight’s destination isn’t mentioned, Delta serves Atlanta, Minneapolis and New York LaGuardia on Saturdays from Sarasota – but only Atlanta flights depart in the morning. The video was posted prior to either the Minneapolis or New York flights boarding, so this was a flight headed to Atlanta.
Ironically, Delta’s CEO was full of praise for Trump when he thought it would advance the airline’s political agenda. However airline staff have removed flyers over their pro-Trump conversations as well. Some passengers contend their pro-Trump attire gets them worse service when they fly.
Meanwhile, passengers also often get dress-coded even though the standards given to employees to enforce are far from clear.
- Delta threatened to remove a woman from a flight for refusing to wear a bra and also to deny boarding to an adult film star over her clothing.
- Southwest Airlines kicked a Playboy Playmate off one of its flights because of her attire. This from an airline whose flight attendants used to wear hot pants, its automated ticketing machines were called “Quickies” and snacks were “Love Bites.”
- American Airlines is known for inconsistent enforcement of dress standards. They told a curvaceous woman to wear a blanket in order to fly before the pandemic. They refused boarding to a Turkish fitness model in 2021. And they told a former Miss Universe that her athleisure wear wouldn’t fly.
Yet we often see far more flamboyant or skimpy attire on planes, too. Here’s women in swimsuits checking in for an American Airlines flight while the carrier’s agents are like ‘no big deal.’
Is a Trump t-shirt with middle fingers extended appropriate in public? I don’t think so. Is it clearly grounds for removal from an aircraft? I’m not sure. Employees in Sarasota concluded that it would disqualify the man from flying today. He defied them, and found out.
@ Gary — I suppose no comments will come through automatically on this post…Anyone who would wear that shirt is obviously an idiot.
Interesting case. If it was a state actor kicking the passenger off, it would be unconstitutional. Minnesota Voters Alliance et al., Petitioners v. Joe Mansky at the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that t-shirts with political speech couldn’t be banned at polling places.
However this wasn’t a state actor but a private business. Discrimination based on political speech isn’t a great look for any large business. I wonder if somebody with a Harris T-shirt would have also been treated the same way?
Has nothing to do with Trump on the shirt. Has everything to do with the vile and offensive graphics and language.
Hell, I fly naked if able. Security is a cinch.
The “Trump shirt” guy is lucky I wasn’t on board. I would have beaten the living shit out of him. Alas, I fear politics is not my strong suit. If you’re a Trumpster it’s gloves off and down we go!
I am pretty conservative but disagree he was thrown off because of a “Trump t shirt”. Yes it showed Trump but the issue wasn’t Donald Trump on the shirt (and I doubt he would be singled out even if he wore a MAGA shirt or cap). The issue is the 2 birds and a phrase that is well known related to a certain act. I suspect if someone wore a similar such shirt with Kamala or Joe on it with the same messaging they would also be asked to change.
Very little offends me but I’m not wearing something in public with.vulger expressions or the F word (I’ve seen people get on a plane with that word on their shirt). Everything isn’t about trying to shock people
The shirt was completely inappropriate due to the middle finger displayed. It’s no different than someone boarding a flight with “Fu*k You (whether typed as I did our fully spelled out.) on a T-shirt. There are basic standards of decency that seem to have been forgotten.
The issue with the t-shirt wasn’t Trump, it was the middle finger and the sexual innuendo. Coulda been a picture of Mother Theresa and the same thing would have happened.
When did Ed start wearing Trump shirts while flying non-revenue? I thought he only donated cash to his campaign (and most other climate change deniers in the U.S. Senate)…
@LAX Tom … If he had worn a sports jacket and tie , the shirt would not have mattered . Meanwhile, airlines are OK with FAs wearing Palestine flag pins and slogans .
Meanwhile , all I wish to do is smoke my cigar .
@JimThurber … Relax … Sit down for a spell and have a few drinks .
Good. Only thing better would have been if the pax had heard from the flight deck:
“Jump run!…..door!!!!……”
And then toss the wanker out.
The shirt was not about trump it was about oral sex Read the first line on the shirt hawk Google it
He’s clearly trying to troll and provoke a response, and that isn’t the kind of person you want to have in a sealed aluminum tube flying at 37,000 feet. Airline crews have plenty of experience with these people and I think, just like the rest of us, everyone is through walking on eggshells around them. Good on the crew for kicking him off on the ground before he became a problem in flight.
Well I have no idea what that “spit” thing is, but it makes as much sense as the babbling about Brandon. While I detest Trump beyond words, wearing his picture is a person’s right (except in special cases when politics should be kept out of voting areas and the like). Showing an obscene gesture in public is not appropriate and they were right to stop that. Then this fool starts it up again. Incidentally when asked to sign credit card receipts I always put his name down, maybe someday he’ll pay the bills….
The issue shouldn’t be Trump vs Harris. It should be the message. If it was simply a vote Trump shirt he should be able to board the plane. But that wasn’t the case. More important was his decision not to follow a direct order from airline staff. They remind us every time we fly that we must obey any request or “order” directed at us by crew members. To not do so, means you can be kicked off the flight. It doesn’t matter who was right or wrong. You can deal with that at another time. But if you want to fly right now, you better just do what they say, sit down, and keep your mouth shut.
Who cares. Everyone gets offended by everything nowadays. Its a shirt. If you get offended by a shirt that says F U, you need to get a life. You are just a stupid snowflake… and btw your stupid little snowflake kids see much worse at school.
no other way to phrase it, politics in the United States has gotten incredibly nasty since 2016.
Delta did right for the reasons @AC mentioned.
Regardless of political persuasion, this dude is being antagonistic and looking for a fight.
Not the kind of passenger you want to be sitting next to at 30K+ feet. Especially if he starts drinking!
Personally, I think that it’s really pathetic that the US has become so soft that we’re now throwing people off of flights for what otherwise is considered protected free speech. Like it is not, that’s what it is. We all have that very same protected right. What one wears has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on another person unless words and graphic imagery now break bones as do sticks and stones.
And give me a break! Of course it’s the image of Trump that is at the root of this. Just as it has been in every instance regarding Trump, MAGA, and flying passengers over the past fewcyears. Any instance of democrats being bored from flights while donning Biden/Harris gear? Notvthat I’ve heard of Therecis only one common denominator between every instance of a Trump supporter being shit upon and that is Trump. And spare me with the “it’s the middle finger part”, gag me stupid, the modern left is no outpost of good and purity – not by miles and yards, middle fingers are nothing to yo the left, or to anyone of any political nature si save that crap.
Perhaps the left can muster up some integrity for once and just say it for what it is – alk about low hanging fruit – it’s just an easy target for the left. Whether the guy wearing the shirt did it for this purpose, I’m not going to make any assumptions. That’s on him. What I do know is that the modern left is in no way offended by anyone shooting the bird or sexual content. This is otherwise content heavily promoted by the left so, there’s that.
I just hope the left remembers these days because they will not be here forever. Quit acting like school-aged children and grow the F up! I know toddlers that are more mature than many adults. And in the US of all places. FFS, absolutely pitiful!
Clearly the shirt was not appropriate.
I’d agree with tossing him. Not the Trump part, but the birdies. I’ve tossed people from my hotel lobby for using the f word in front of children (boy are they shocked to find out “but I’m a diamond member” doesn’t buy you anything when you act inappropriately). It’s rude and unacceptable. At least have a modicum of respect for your fellow travelers. The world does not revolve around you and your choices.
@Jim Thurber, thank you for the illustrious example of ignorance. Sure wish I could run into you wearing a Trump shirt. One finger on me and I would own your life. However you did manage to wake up the rest of the Ignorant readers who are the most intolerant generation in the history of America.
@drrichard … hate to break it to you , but The Donald is popular in Hawaii , a dem-majority state , because he is seen as more honest than the alternative .
Marc, from above, said it best.
“Has nothing to do with Trump on the shirt. Has everything to do with the vile and offensive graphics and language.”
@Gary, seriously, you’d be happy to have your kid sitting next to someone with a shirt flipping the bird and headlined with “HAWK TUAH”?
Guess I must be a snowflake, cause I’d rather not have that conversation with my 8 year old.when they ask.
I would have waited for the cops to drag me off and delay the flight as long as possible. But I’m also very petty lol
@American I agree. Keyboard courage is easy for a lefty. He would fold like a cheap dem politition if confronted. And if he hit another passenger there’s a holding cell waiting in the basement of the terminal.
Let folks wear or not wear whatever they want, I say, as long as their behavior is civil.
I think it’s reasonable to say that the t-shirt shows poor judgement because wearing things that are explicitly obscene on an aircraft is poor judgement. I would not want to deal with people who have poor judgment in flight. They should have made him turn his shirt inside out at a minimum.
I think removal from the plane was proper because the top line is a reference to sexual conduct. Should children be exposed to code for “spit on his penis” – no way.
@alfred your 8 your old sees much worse at school. You don’t tgink they know what the bird is? You live in a sheltered world. Of course if the guy was a tranny and wanted to use the girls bathroom you would have no problem putting a mushroom imprint over our 8 year old face. Liberals logic is whacked…
trump (sic), honest? trump, honest??
bwahhh ha hahahahahahahahahahaha
Meanwhile back in reality.
There are a lot of reasons someone might want to vote for trump. Honesty is not one of them. Thousands of verifiable, documented lies is not demonstrative of honesty.
@cal
Yelling Fire in a movie theater is NOT FREE speach
Saying that you have bomb on a plane is NOT FREE speach
Saying that Cal is a Child Molester is NOT FREE speach. (unless you are Cal)
ask Rep David Love NH who is paying $200,000
Dela is a Private Company they have the right to REFUSE SERVICE to any one they want to.
That includes those that use vulgar language etc as “Free speach”
And for all the other IDIOTS out there who think this is about Trump you really need to Google what those words are and they tell your Mommie and daughter what they mean (followed by a slat of your face)
@cat – Considering you rambled for so long, you clearly do not understand how the constitution defines “protected free speech”.
Your understanding is wrong, your premise is flawed, and you make a lot of ignorant noise.
Troll.
No shirt
No shoes
TRUMP
No service
Airline captain here. I would kick anyone off my flight that wore an offensive graphic tee like this one. Doesn’t matter if it’s Trump, Harris or The Dali Lama.
Airlines can do anything they want with us since we depend on them so much. Hell with the airlines.
I think America is going from or has already gone from, from ‘sort-of’ freedom of expression to censorship of expression; good or bad?
(Freedom of expression is the right to express yourself online and to access information and opinions from others. This includes political speech, views on religion, and opinions that are favorable or unpopular; ibid Google )
Airlines are privately owned companies and like a privately owned company they can kick you off their planes if they find you offensive.
I wonder if a Johnny Cash middle finger shirt would have been treated the same way.
Whatever happened to “in good taste”? I’ve seen some ridiculous clothing allowed while others were not. Unless Delta has changed in past year (last time I flew back home and I Always fly Delta!!) there was a girl or possibly two wearing pajama pants on board!!! WHO does that? Times Have Changed and certainly NOT for the Good!!! Spandex that is Too small and shows Skin thru black seems acceptable to everyone else But Me!!! I don’t want to SEE someone’s skin AND butt crack Thru their too small too tight leggings or miss fake boob job wearing a top 2sizes Tooo small on the man who is 70lbs overweight who still wears pants that show 2” of his butt crack when he sits down!!’ Whatever happened to Decency in Public?!?! Wanna go stripped down-JOIN a f*****g nudist colony and let it all hang out!!! Don’t subject Me Or My Kids to your lack of common sense and decency!! Please!!!
Poor snowflakes can’t handle when somebody disagrees with them so they play the obscenity card.
Will they kick people off for wearing IDF or Islamo-fascist shirts? I guess maybe soon we will find out.
As for tough guy Jimmy good luck staying out of jail. You obviously have the same mentality as your antifa buddies.
It has nothing to do with free speech! People need to read the First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The first five words sum it up! The airline is not obliged to honor “free speech”. Now, if there is a government (federal, state, local) that makes a law saying that the person can’t wear the shirt, then the government is in the wrong because of the “establishment clause”. A private business can do what they want. There are a very few exceptions to the establishment clause but they have been clearly delineated by the Supreme Court Of The United States.
That anyone would wear a shirt depicting a former or (gulp!) future POTUS in such an offensive manner in public speaks loudly about how the Former Guy has debased the US presidency. I shouldn’t, but I do sincerely wonder whether Trump would approve (of) that shirt.
Sad!
@alert
The fact that you would say that “the airlines are even ok with FAs wearing Palestinian flag pins” shows what a dirt bag you are.
Quick quiz:
Both the Palestinians and Israel had advance Intel about Gaddafi intending to bomb panam 101. Who tipped off the US in advance? The Palestinian liberation organization did. Sadly the CIA didn’t find the tip credible. Mossad wasn’t willing to share the Intel with us for fear of burning humint sources.
I guess they weed out the crazies pre-flight.
To bad they can’t eject em midair.The angels’ll catch em if they’re worthy. Like Trump’s ear!
Those who claim Palestinian pins shouldn’t be worn should agree with this. But the typical right whingers are out in force today
A business should have the right to refuse service if the customer is a jerk. It is unfortunate Mother Nature didn’t engineer us so that ignorance was painful but since it isn’t I think it’s good the airline recognized the problem and dumped this clown.
I thought candidly that you lived in THE country of free speech, but that was before…
This is not an issue of political bias — that t-shirt expressed a filthy sentiment and has no place in civilised society. If you want to wear such a thing, stay inside your trailer house and admire your “clever” self in your bathroom mirror while flexing your tiny biceps.
Yawn…
30+ years ago I was throwing passengers off for FU shirts. Turn it inside out or you don’t fly with us. What you do after the flight, I could care less. Next Topic.
This all stems from someone being offended by his shirt. I suspect the only reason the person read the shirt was because they saw Trumps face. Honestly, when was the last time you read somebodys shirt? People need to grow up.
Gary:
I have never criticized you before. But you can do better. Not only can you do better, in this era of hostility you need to do better.
The title of this shirt should read
“Man kicked off Delta flight for obscene shirt showing man flipping us off”
The fact that it was Trump had *NOTHING* to do with it
There are MAGA hats and flights on every Delta flight. You can’t go anywhere these days without seeing them
The fact that this Trump individual and many in this movement take joy in being offensive says a lot about them, not Delta.
I don’t want my kids seeing this kind of crap period.
I don’t care if it’s Trump or Harris or Palestine or Kim Jung Un
We get it. You’re a Trumper. It’s your blog. Do what you want with it
But many of us are tiring of the Pro Trump dog whistles and just want to get away from politics. Just for a second. Please.
Let’s have common sense. The shirt is a disgrace. As a high school teacher he would have been removed from our school also
Nice misleading headline. It wasn’t just a “Trump” shirt. It was a disgustingly obscene t-shirt. The middle finger is bad enough and the slogan is repulsive. The jerk wearing it knew that and was looking for attention by wearing it in that setting. He got what he wanted. He’s free to be disgusting and the pilot is free to say “not on my plane”. Well done!
The gesture shown on the shirt is taken as being a vulgar obscenity on display and thus airlines may make an issue of such display on attire.
I get that he was kicked off by the middle fingers and Hawk Twuah message (which would only be obscene if you know about it). All distasteful and low class… But let’s be honest…. Someone one complained cause the man was wearing a Donnie shirt and THAT is not ok. So much for freedom of speech!
I beg to differ with that comment and all its variants. The t-shirt cannot be separated or dissociated from Trump because its very existence is attributable to Trump’s total debasement of the US presidency. The t-shirt reflects Trump and vice versa, because he made the offensive okay by the way he speaks and always reaches for the worst regardless of the situation.
Joshua said “I suspect the only reason the person read the shirt was because they saw Trumps face“
Then you aren’t very perceptive
It’s not Trumps face. It’s his middle fingers.
I didn’t even read the shirt. I couldn’t care less whose face it is.
Indecent gestures and overt hostility are not appropriate on an airplane. Hard stop.
Turn the shirt inside out.
Stop being a jerk for just a few hours.
It isn’t that hard. Really
And quit whining like a snowflake when you get called out for your indecency
Has nothing to do with the politician – it’s the obscene gesture
Regardless of the content, people going out of their way to get attention and stir controversy have to suffer the consequences. I’d argue that anything with his name on it is meant to be divisive (as that is his main objective), however, something that is outwardly disgraceful such as this is over the line. For the record I’d feel the same if there was a Harris shirt like (although she’s classy enough not to do something like this…).
The whole free speech argument is from the government, not from private corporations. Free Market! Capitalism! Companies can do as they wish. And if they put out a policy that says no to this, that is the free market working.
Again, someone going out of their way to incite controversy have to suffer the consequences.
We live in a world of Karens. And I’m no Trump fan but will be voting for him this November in full disclosure.
Precisely, which is why the offensive t-shirt cannot be dissociated from Trump who has made being offensive his trademark…
LOL- America is so done.
If it was Biden or kamala I’m sure it would have been okay. Do a test run.
, have one person wear a shirt for Kamala and the other shirt for Trump. Put it to the test….
An airliner is private property and a place of business. Freedom of speech does not extend to obscene speech inside a business establishment directed toward others customers of that business, whether the place of business is on the land, or, in this case, a fully enclosed place of business from which offended customers have no realistic ability to leave or otherwise separate or distance themselves from the obscene speech. This is an easy decision, no matter what your politics — if you believe in the rights of property.
JRMW ever heard of free speech or is that something you and the other progressives in the comments are willing to forego to promote your left wing socialist policies.
JRMW – Leff is a wicked leftist. To call him a Trumper would be a major insult to him… just sayin’
@cmorgan – take a constitutional law course. “freedom of speech” only applies to government and also doesn’t mean there aren’t implications for said speech. Basically, outside of threats, you can’t be thrown in jail for what you say or express but that is about it. Unless you have protection in an employment contract you can be fired, performers can be black listed and loss money and you can be refused service at any private business (of which airlines are one).
Now don’t you feel smarter. BTW I am a conservative but actual understand our constitutional rights
No problem kicking someone off for a shirt sporting the middle finger. No problem kicking someone off because she wants to fly in lingerie, thong bottom, or with more than half of her boob exposed. No problem kicking fat guys off who wear t-shirts that don’t even cover their navel or God forbid a crack problem.
Just make certain that it applies consistently. A clearly defined public policy would be useful.
Well despite the fact probably in bad taste if the pax was not disrespectful he gets a pay day for this as a public carrier can’t toss a pax because they don’t like the shirt fairly certain a federal court will agree. Civil liberty case.
I wonder if it isn’t more simple: the guy disobeyed a direct order from flight crew; had he kept his shirt inside out, no way would he have been removed. No crew wants someone who won’t follow instructions, and don’t want to risk a known problem person on their flight.
How about those Texas Longhorns!
It’s funny to see all the pearl-clutching over the “filthy” shirt, which wouldn’t have induced even a yawn if it wasn’t pro-Trump. As we are seeing in Brazil at the moment, the left hates political dissent, and will use even the thinnest rationale to quash and punish it to the fullest extent of its ability.
The Tr*mp-supporting shirt with its vulgarities seems like something that was inspired by the late pornographer Al Goldstein whom Tr*mp considered to be too down market since he was more of a Playboy and Penthouse guy when he wasn’t all-in on partying with the notorious Jeffrey Epstein of sex offender infamy for “liking them young”.
This isn’t about wearing Trump paraphernalia, it is about maintaining some kind of standard for dress on a flight. The shirt is designed to be offensive, and it was. So hooray for the immature flyer.
@DannyMIA, @Mak @Cmorgan
“freedumb of speech”
is never without consequences for “speech” that others find offensive
Please, go take civics classes
Really? Throwing somebody off for wearing a t-shirt with a message? How ’bout just ignore the message so your feelings aren’t hurt?
Was the dress code this person was expected to follow explicitly published? If so, where? when he was flagged initially, was he made aware of the consequences if he did not comply?
Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of our republic. Even profanity is protected–just ask Larry Flint (may he rest in peace).
People today need to grow thicker skin. Feelings are too easily hurt. And everybody is political nowadays. Bring back the days when nobody cared what a politician said because everybody knew it was a lie.
4 elements in play:
-Graphic meme of elderly felon flipping the bird at the viewer.
-Graphic sexual act meme spelled out like a billboard
-Divisive political figure meme troll pic.
And the mentally unhealthy person wearing the offensive outfit, purely to provoke a negative response, who despite knowing consequences goes ahead and repeats a poor decision. Then complains when the obvious and fitting consequence occurs.
The flight attendants avoided a flight with a person obviously invested in harming others. Bravo.
Free speech ends when harm to others is inevitable. The actions of people like this have reliably proven harmful to others. This person’s flagrant refusal to behave led to the warranted outcome.
Yet another weird wacko.
He was removed for cursing at airline crew!