Fox News host Jesse Watters and his co-hosts on The Five took aim at former President Joe Biden following the shutdown of Spirit Airlines, arguing that the administration’s policies helped push the budget carrier over the edge and left thousands of workers without jobs.
At the center of the criticism is the Biden administration’s Department of Justice decision in January 2024 to block a proposed $3.8 billion merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines. Federal officials had argued at the time that eliminating Spirit—known as an “ultra-low-cost” airline—would reduce competition and ultimately lead to higher fares for travelers.
But critics on The Five painted a very different picture, suggesting that the move backfired and resulted in fewer options for consumers rather than more.
Fox News contributor Tyrus didn’t hold back, sarcastically declaring “mission accomplished” as he reflected on the airline’s demise. With one fewer carrier in the skies, he argued, competition has taken a hit—precisely the outcome regulators said they were trying to avoid.
“I’m going to miss Spirit Airlines,” Tyrus said, recalling the often chaotic scenes that became synonymous with the budget airline experience. While his comments carried a humorous tone, they underscored a broader frustration with what he described as government interference in markets it may not fully understand.
Tyrus also questioned whether policymakers who supported blocking the merger were out of touch with everyday travelers, suggesting that those making such decisions may not experience the same challenges as regular passengers. He pointed to reports of stranded travelers following the airline’s shutdown, asking how such disruptions ultimately serve consumers.
Watters echoed many of those concerns, even while acknowledging he was never a fan of the budget airline model itself. He joked about the idea of cutting costs in an industry where safety and reliability are paramount, comparing it to buying a “budget bulletproof vest.”
Still, Watters argued that the economic reality facing Spirit left it with limited options. “It’s like you either merge or you die,” he said, suggesting that blocking the merger may have accelerated the airline’s collapse rather than preventing harm to consumers.
In his view, the fallout is clear: fewer jobs, fewer choices, and the likelihood of higher prices. “Biden just let thousands of workers lose their job and all the prices are going to get higher,” Watters said, tying the outcome directly to the administration’s decision-making.
Fox News contributor Kellyanne Conway added that the situation should be viewed as part of a broader pattern of economic missteps. “I think this should go into the Biden economic bucket as a failure for them since they caused this,” she said.
While Democrats initially defended the decision to block the merger as a way to preserve competition, critics now argue that the outcome raises questions about whether those intentions translated into real-world benefits.
As the dust settles, the debate reflects a larger tension between regulatory oversight and market forces—one that can have tangible consequences for workers and consumers alike. And in a climate already shaped by economic pressures, the loss of a major airline serves as a reminder that policy decisions, even those made with stated consumer protections in mind, don’t always land as intended.
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