Growing concerns after the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max 8 jets in five months have led leaders across the world to ground the planes until risks can be more accurately assessed.
Until Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump was not among these leaders.
At least five pilots in the United States have reported problems operating the aircraft at crucial moments and experts have spoken to the anomaly of two brand new planes of the same model crashing in one year. "That rings alarm bells in the aviation industry," said CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo, "because that just doesn't happen."
In a phone call with the President, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg urged him to refrain from grounding the Max 8, assuring the model is safe. Former head of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub had a chilling theory why:
Trump's inaugural fund cost a record $107 million—more than double the previous record of former President Barack Obama's inauguration. Unlike his predecessors, the Trump team did not put a cap on corporate donations.
Since last year, the inaugural committee has been under investigation for possibly promising access to the White House in exchange for hefty donations. Boeing donated $1 million.
Shaub is suggesting that the President is keeping the Max 8 in the air to please a donor corporation, rather than possibly save lives.
Lawmakers have called for Trump to ground the planes.
That the President would prioritize political contributions over people's lives would be downright dastardly, yet—after two years in to Trump's tenure—it's not out of the scope of imagination.
Though the United States has yet to ground the planes, Americans are settling on embargoes of their own.
Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether or not to ground the planes, with more meetings expected on Wednesday afternoon.
We can only hope he weighs his options more diligently than taking a substantial corporate donor at his word.
Update: This piece has been updated to reflect that, after massive public outcry, the President has said he will ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 until its safety can be assessed.
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U.S. Mint
