Trump blames Biden for nationwide grounding of flights, in first address since crisis

His comments came after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that investigators had determined that a contractor's error or a faulty router had caused the nationwide disruption.

After four days out of public view, US President Donald Trump broke his silence on the nationwide aviation crisis on Sunday, blaming former president Joe Biden's administration for worsening the country's aging air traffic control system following a major malfunction that grounded departures and led to thousands of flight cancellations across the United States.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: "The Biden administration was an FAA disaster. Everything they touched turned bad. Big money spent unwisely, making an old and broken system worse than when they began."

Trump added: "We have the knowledge and plan for the flight control systems; we need Congress to give the money, fast! Our FAA is doing a great job, and is ready to go."

His comments came after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that investigators had determined that a contractor's error or a faulty router had caused the nationwide disruption.

Trump's remarks followed four days without public appearances, during which he faced accusations of failing to address the aviation crisis.

Trump demands urgent funding to modernize aging aviation systems

The president published a second post on Truth Social just 23 minutes after the first, again urging Congress to approve funding to modernize the country's air traffic control infrastructure.

"If Congress approves the funding we desperately need, we can build the system quickly and efficiently. It will be the best system in the world," Trump wrote.

According to Trump, large portions of the American air traffic control system are 50 years old.

"This is ridiculous! We have already started the work, but it needs to be done all at once, not in dribs and drabs," he added.

Trump again accused the Biden administration of responsibility for the system's condition, writing: "The Biden administration set us back years."

The president's renewed demand for funding followed Duffy's call for Congress to approve $50 billion to upgrade the country's aviation infrastructure after the malfunction caused thousands of flight cancellations across the United States.