GOP strategist pans Trump's airline bailout on CNN: 'We should allow them to fail'
President Donald Trump waves as he departs after delivering remarks to NCAA Collegiate National Champions in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

A GOP strategist panned the reportedly negotiated bailout for the ailing airline Spirit Airlines by President Donald Trump's administration during a CNN segment.

Shermichael Singleton, a GOP strategist, argued on CNN's "NewsNight" with host Abby Phillip that the $500 million bailout that Spirit and the Trump administration have been negotiating behind-the-scenes is a bad use of taxpayer money. The deal would include the U.S. government taking a stake in the company, which caused some of Trump's Republican colleagues to decry the president for spreading socialism.

Singleton sounded off on the idea.

"I do not agree with the president on this at all," Singleton said. "I'm an old school Adam Smith, Roger Scruton, conservative. This is not the role of government by any stretch of the imagination."

"Spirit Airlines is a terrible airline," he added. "Now, I understand the idea of trying to offer something that's affordable for a lot of people who can't afford to fly. I think it's a noble idea, but it's not a sound business idea. And so they're failing because of the marketplace. And we should allow them to fail."