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.
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!