Trump sounds open to the idea of the federal government helping the beleaguered Spirit Airlines.
“I’d love somebody to buy Spirit… you know, Spirit’s in trouble,” Trump told CNBC on Tuesday. “Maybe the federal government should help that one out. You know, I told my people.”
Trump didn’t specify what he might have in mind, and neither Spirit nor the White House immediately responded to a request for comment.
Multiple outlets have reported in recent days that Spirit has floated offering the federal government a stake in the company to avoid going out of business.
The US government took a roughly 10% stake in Intel last year, and Trump and his administration have floated making similar transactions with other companies.
Spirit, an ultra-low-cost carrier, has long struggled to turn a profit, and oil price spikes in the wake of the war in Iran have likely added to the company’s financial challenges as jet fuel costs rise.
If Spirit were to collapse, tickets booked with the airline would likely become worthless.
Trump brought up the idea unprompted when asked about reports of a potential merger between United Airlines and American Airlines, a prospect that American denied in a statement last week.
“While changes in the broader airline marketplace may be necessary, a combination with United would be negative for competition and for consumers,” American Airlines said in a statement.
Trump said he wouldn’t be supportive of such a merger anyway, and that American is “doing fine” while United is “doing very well.”
“I don’t like having them merge,” Trump said.
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