United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby seems to be countering the talking points in the rest of the industry, and is coming out strongly in favor of President Trump’s tariff policies. Is he being sincere, though?
United CEO says tariffs good for middle class
Today (Thursday, April 24, 2025), Scott Kirby spoke at Semafor’s 2025 World Economy Summit in Washington DC, and of course he was asked about tariffs. So, what was his response? He stated that “we should all take a breath,” and that “we’ve been through periods where people are unhappy before.”
Kirby described Trump’s recent tariff increases as “the first move in a chess game,” with “a lot of moves left to come.” Kirby argued that “the president has a genuine desire to make things better for middle-class Americans, to create good careers,” and believes tariffs are aimed at middle-class job creation.
He also said that consumers appear to have not cut back on travel spending for the summer, so therefore they haven’t been directly impacted by the trade turmoil — “they don’t actually feel anything in their current paycheck.”
You can see his nearly two minutes of comments below.
Is Kirby playing his own Trump chess game?
No matter how you slice it, instability is bad for the airline industry. Yes, as of now airlines might not be feeling much pain, but as prices for consumers go up in the coming weeks as a result of tariffs (given the delays with imports hitting shelves), more people will at least experience short term financial pain.
So one wonders… does Kirby truly believe what he’s saying, and if so, does he believe that in the context of his role as the CEO of a major, global airline, that’s reliant on a global economy? And if so, what’s his motive? I mean, United has announced it’s reducing capacity later this year due to uncertainty, and has even issued updated guidance based on the assumption that there’s a recession, which doesn’t exactly seem like a business that’s not suffering in any way.
For example, we recently saw Delta CEO Ed Bastian say that Trump’s tariff policy was “the wrong approach,” even if an updated tariff policy wasn’t a bad idea in the long run.
Heck, it’s very interesting how Kirby phrases his statement, in a way that says absolutely nothing negative about the potential impact of tariffs. In the interview, he said, “whether you think it’s the right tactic or not, it’s easy to argue… the tactics,” and he kind of pauses for a moment, as if he was about to acknowledge that maybe the tactics are wrong, but didn’t want to say that.
So all of this brings me to my genuine belief, and ya’ll are free to call me a conspiracy theorist. Kirby is a really bright guy. He’s also without a doubt the most ambitious guy in the US airline industry, and he’s obsessed with bringing “his” airline into the number one spot.
Is it crazy to think that Kirby is just being a good businessman here, and saying what he thinks Trump wants to hear? I mean, we all know that Trump likes people who like him, and it just feels like Kirby is trying to capitalize on that. Just as Kirby points out Trump’s chess game, I think Kirby has his own chess game.
For Kirby, the missing piece of the puzzle for United’s dominance is a return to New York JFK, and the key to being able to accomplish this is to acquire JetBlue. Of course the challenge is getting regulatory approval, without too many concessions.
So I certainly could be wrong, but I’m going to go ahed and assume Kirby is just being strategic here, and is saying what what will position him best for that.
Bottom line
United CEO Scott Kirby is continuing to show strong support for President Trump’s tariff policy, claiming that people need to “take a breath,” and that Trump is doing this all to make life better for middle class Americans. As the CEO of a major airline, instability isn’t good, no matter how you slice it. And Kirby is alone among airline CEOs in being so overwhelmingly positive about the tariff situation.
So, what do y’all think — is Kirby just sharing his sincere beliefs, or is he being strategic, with a bigger goal in mind?
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