In the first few weeks of the new Trump administration, aviation safety has taken center stage following the tragic loss of life in the mid-air collision between a Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet with 64 people onboard on approach to Reagan National Airport in Washington DC.
Transportation Sean Duffy has promised to promote safety above all else, accusing the former Biden administration of prioritizing social justice, DEI initiatives, and the environment over creating a safe aviation system that should be the envy of the world.
Off we go
— Raheem. (@RaheemKassam) February 9, 2025pic.twitter.com/KclXWRAg6b
With safety at the forefront of the administration’s priorities, it does, therefore, seem a little surprising that a prominent Trump supporter who has close connections with the upper echelons of the government would boast about lighting up a cigarette while standing just meters from a US Air Force VIP Boeing 737.
But that’s precisely what happened on Sunday night, as conservative media pundit Raheem Kassam posted a photo of himself taking a drag on a lit cigarette while just meters away from the engine of one of the USAF’s specially adapted C-40C jets.
Born in 1986 in the UK to a family of Indian-Tanzanian descent, Kassam first came to prominence in Britain as a political activist and wannabe leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party.
A self-proclaimed nationalist, Kassam was once closely linked to former Trump strategist Steve Bannon before he set up the National Post, a US-based news website that has been described as a “right-wing, nationalist” site that is strongly pro-Trump.
Captioning the photo, “Off we go” with a series of airplane and US flag emojis on X, Kassam did not provide any further context on when and where the photo was taken.
Surprisingly, however, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not specifically outlaw smoking on an airport ‘ramp,’ although many airports impose their own strict rules that ban smoking entirely within close proximity of an airplane.
The obvious risk is that during aircraft refueling, smoking could lead to the ignition of fuel vapors. Even when refueling isn’t taking place, hydraulic fluids could also ignite from smoking too close to an aircraft.
While some of Kassam’s supporters on X lamented his decision to smoke due to the damage it could do to his health, others said that seeing him smoke a cigarette was “cool” and a “flex,” while conservative journalist Julie Kelly wrote: “Thank you for smoking.”
Care to explain what the danger it? I’ll bet he also ripped the tag off of his mattress.
Weak sauce.
Your hatred for Trump is showing here. Is he smoking ON the plane? No!!! Seems perfectly legal to be smoking outside..