One of the most enduring images of Donald Trump’s campaign to gaslight his way to the Republican nomination is of him stepping off his private plane while on the stump. But it turns out that for the better part of this calendar year, Trump has forgotten one minor detail about his toy–registering it.
If you’ve been to a Trump rally, you’ve undoubtedly seen Trump speaking in front of a Boeing 757. However, that’s not Trump’s private plane of choice. That distinction belongs to a Cessna 750 Citation X. Unlike the Boeing, it can land at small airports. As a result, it’s logged hundreds of hours in the air since Trump entered the race.
However, on Tuesday, The New York Times discovered that the Cessna’s registration had lapsed on January 31–and had yet to be renewed with the Federal Aviation Administration. An FAA spokeswoman subsequently confirmed that Trump had not renewed the registration–meaning that private plane cannot legally fly until it’s renewed. And yet, it’s been seen in the skies numerous times since January. As late as Monday, that plane ferried Trump from New York City to a campaign event in Buffalo.
Trump can’t plead ignorance. He knew the plane’s registration was about to run out for much of the winter of 2015. DJT Operations CX LLC, the Trump company that owns the plane, received a “final notice” from the FAA on December 1. On March 31, the FAA formally notified Trump that the registration had run out.
Anyone caught flying an unregistered plane can face up to three years in jail, civil fines of up to $27,500 and criminal fines of up to $250,000. While it’s not likely Trump would have to cough up nearly that much, any FAA fine still dwarf how much it would have cost to simply renew the registration for his private plane. How much? Wait for it–all of five dollars. Additionally, if an unregistered plane ever gets in an accident, the insurer can legally refuse to pay any claims.
Process this for a moment. At last report, Trump was worth $4.5 billion, and has funneled $24.6 million of that money into his campaign. He has also spent some $3 million on campaign travel. And yet, he can’t find the time to plunk down a lousy five bucks to renew a private plane registration? That may explain why Trump has gone bankrupt five times in the last quarter-century. It may also explain why he’s sometimes gotten boat-raced in lining up delegates.
Trump has carried on a war of words with the Old Grey Lady for most of the campaign season. However, as I write this on Tuesday afternoon, Trump has yet to respond to this latest disclosure–either through a spokesperson or on social media. Perhaps the Donald knows that he’s been busted.
