Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sparked outrage Sunday after he gave a defiant interview to Kristen Welker of NBC News.
Duffy joined Welker on “Meet the Press,” where he was pressed about the ongoing travel issues caused by an FAA communication system malfunction. Officials have said a system upgrade overwhelmed a router and that they issued a corresponding ground stop last Friday out of an abundance of caution.
Welker asked whether Duffy felt he owed the American people an apology for the travel disruptions, since the issue happened on his watch. Duffy’s answer outraged some Trump administration critics.
“It happened on my watch, but we have to be clear. I am moving at an incredible speed that no one has done at the FAA or the DOT in decades … I can’t apologize for what has been passed off to us,” he said.
Critics of the Trump administration sounded off on social media.
“Embarrassing,” Jamele Hill, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, posted on X.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) said it was clear Duffy was trying to “deflect blame” for what happened.
“He’s the Secretary of Transportation. If he’s going to use his taxpayer-funded office to film a reality show for 7 months, then he needs to take responsibility for when something goes wrong — regardless of the reason,” Rosen posted on X. “The buck stops with him. Now, instead of deflecting blame, @SecDuffy needs to make sure the many passengers still stranded can make it home safely.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) was more curt in her response.
“He needs to go,” she posted on X.
Chris Fallica, a Fox Sports host, called on Duffy to “take some accountability.”
“Take some accountability as I, like many others, sit in hotels or in airports HOPING to get on a flight home today,” Fallica posted on X.
Joanne Carducci, a political commentator known as “JoJoFromJerz” on social media, argued that Duffy’s excuse was “f—— pathetic.”
WELKER: Do you feel you owe an apology to the American people? This happened on your watchDUFFY: I can’t apologize for what was passed off to us https://t.co/TJF9DuYh82 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 15, 2026
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