Jimmy Fallon has mocked President Donald Trump’s plans to bail out Spirit Airlines as it teeters on the edge of collapse.
The budget carrier is struggling to stay afloat amid rising jet fuel costs, thanks to Trump’s war. The president is reportedly considering salvaging the airline, telling CNBC, “I would love somebody to buy Spirit...Spirit’s in trouble. Maybe the federal government should help that one out.”
The Wall Street Journal later reported that the Trump administration is close to sealing a deal to lend Spirit up to $500 million, in exchange for a significant stake in the Florida-based carrier.
“If the bailout happens, the government will own 90 percent of Spirit,” late-night host Fallon told his audience on Wednesday night. He then launched into a series of quips roasting the 79-year-old president’s grand plans for the airline.
“You’ll know Trump owns Spirit Airlines when you can pay more for extra cankle room,” he joked, mocking the president’s increasingly noticeable swollen ankles.
“You’ll know Trump owns Spirit Airlines when they have a list of everyone who flew on the plane, but won’t release it,” he continued, referencing the Epstein files.
The TV anchor elicited laughs from his audience with each roast, landing with a big finish about Trump’s war in Iran.
“You’ll know Trump owns Spirit Airlines when it lands in the Middle East and doesn’t have an exit strategy,” Fallon said.
“There you have it. That’s what you do. That’s how you do it. That’s how you do it!” he exclaimed.
Spirit has been struggling with financial concerns for years, but has buckled under the pressure of soaring fuel costs amid the ongoing war. The airline had already filed for bankruptcy twice in the last two years and was eyeing the possibility of liquidation.
Trump, when floating the idea of a federal bailout, noted to CNBC that Spirit employs 14,000 people.
Not everyone has been supportive of the president’s plans, with MAGA figures themselves showing skepticism. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said on social media that the bailout is “an absolutely TERRIBLE idea,” adding, “The government doesn’t know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline.”
Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also questioned the idea, telling Reuters on Tuesday, “What we don’t want to do is put good money after bad, and there’s been a lot of money thrown at Spirit, and they haven’t found their way into profitability. And so would we just forestall the inevitable and then own that?”
“If no one else wants to buy them,” Duffy said, “Why would we buy them?”
Fallon ended his monologue by mocking the president’s polling numbers, which have plummeted.
“I saw that Trump’s approval rating just hit a new low of 32 percent,” he said. “Trump’s numbers are so down, he just asked Spirit Airlines for a bailout.”
