President Donald Trump is drawing mockery online after doubling down on a baffling claim that flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco cost just $2, using the figure to criticize California’s high-speed rail project.
Trump’s latest remark came on Monday during a press conference about his decision to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles to control protests. When asked about the possibility of sending Marines, he veered off-topic to slam the state’s long-delayed bullet train project.
“It should’ve never been built because you can fly there for $2. And what are you doing? They’re doing that. You could drive, you could do lots of different things,” he said.
This wasn’t the first time Trump made the claim. In February, he used the same figure while denouncing what he called “the worst overruns” in U.S. infrastructure history, according to Mediaite.
“The worst overruns that there have ever been in the history of our country. And it wasn’t even necessary. I would have said, you don’t buy it. You take an airplane – it costs you $2. It costs you nothing. You take an airplane,” Trump said in February.
The actual cost of a commercial flight between LA and San Francisco typically ranges from $100 to $250, far from his stated amount.
Additionally, Trump suggested it would be cheaper to provide luxury limousine service for every traveler than continue building the rail line. The remark drew ridicule on social media, with critics calling it a prime example of Trump’s disconnect from reality.
“If you’re wondering why Trump Airlines failed,” one user wrote, referencing the short-lived airline he operated in the 1990s.
“Trump’s living in coo coo land,” a user said, with another adding that the president “has dementia.”
Though Trump’s airfare claim has been widely debunked and ridiculed, he has shown no sign of walking it back.
Originally published on Latin Times
