President Trump wants to make his personal pilot the new leader of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a new report published Sunday.
Axios reported Trump has put John Dunkin, his personal pilot, on his shortlist for new head of the FAA. A senior administration official confirmed to Axios that Trump has mentioned putting Dunkin, who flew Trump around during the campaign, in the role.
“John Dunkin isn’t just a pilot,” the administration official told Axios in a statement. “He’s managed airline and corporate flight departments, certified airlines from start-up under FAA regulations, and oversaw the Trump presidential campaign’s air fleet, which included managing all aviation transportation for travel to 203 cities in 43 states over the course of 21 months.”
There are multiple other candidates for the role, including acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell and Missouri Republican Rep. Dan Graves, according to the report.