Trump offers advice to Boeing on 737 MAX planes: 'REBRAND'

By CAITLIN OPRYSKO 04/15/2019 07:30 AM EDT

President Donald Trump on Monday suggested aviation giant Boeing ditch the designation for its scandal-plagued 737 MAX planes, renaming the aircraft once a critical software issue is fixed and they are able to fly once again.

“What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name,” Trump wrote in a tweet. “No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know?”

The 737 MAX series planes were grounded worldwide last month after one of the planes crashed shortly after takeoff in Ethiopia, killing everyone on board and drawing comparisons with another deadly crash involving the same model in October.

At issue, according to preliminary crash reports for both fatal flights, was a flaw in the plane’s automation software. The crashes have renewed scrutiny on the FAA’s approval process, some of which has been outsourced to aircraft manufacturers. It has also spawned questions about how much Boeing knew about the glitch, prompting demands for congressional hearings on both issues.

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