Two airline employees are facing intense backlash after anti-Trump social media posts went viral, with calls growing for both to be fired.
Southwest Flight Attendant Michele Carpino, United Pilot Matt Doogen Face Backlash Over Anti-Trump Posts
A Southwest Airlines flight attendant and a United Airlines pilot have each sparked separate controversies after social media activity critical of former President Donald Trump went viral, drawing sharp backlash and calls for termination.
The two cases are not identical, but they are now being lumped together in a broader political firestorm, with some even calling for Southwest and United to be boycotted until the employees are removed from duty.
Southwest Flight Attendant Crosses A Clear Line
Southwest flight attendant Michele Carpino is facing the most serious scrutiny after posts surfaced in which she appeared to call for violence against Trump. When news broke that there was another assassination attempt against President Trump in Washington, DC last month, a Facebook comment was left under her name saying, “We need better assassins.”
Publicly advocating violence against a political figure is the kind of behavior that airlines simply cannot ignore…it not only runs counter to Southwest’s employee social media policy, but raises questions about fitness to serve in a safety role.
Southwest has acknowledged the situation and said it is addressing the matter internally. Regardless of political views (and I am no fan of President Trump), this goes beyond opinion and into something far more serious and her posting history suggests it was not even a crass joke.
United Pilot Case Is More Ambiguous
The situation involving United pilot Matt Doogen is different, though it has generated similar outrage in some circles.
Doogen came under fire after posting an image featuring the number “8647,” which many interpreted as a coded anti-Trump message (see James Comey). The number has been used online as shorthand implying removal of the 47th president, with 86 thought to mean death by the MAGA camp but historically used to mean “get rid of” (the use of that number has an interesting history).
But interpretation is doing a lot of work here. Unlike the Southwest case, there is no “smoking gun” post in which Doogen explicitly called for violence. Instead, the backlash is based on how the image was perceived and amplified online. Even so, United has reportedly pulled Doogen from flying duties pending review, which is standard practice when something like this goes viral.
Airlines And Social Media: A Growing Problem
Airline employees have always had personal views. What has changed is how easily those views can become public and how quickly they can spread. Pilots and flight attendants are not just private citizens in the eyes of the public. They are seen as representatives of their airlines, especially when identifiable in uniform or through their employment.
That creates a tension between personal expression and professional responsibility. Airlines are increasingly being forced to navigate that line in real time and often fall on the side of “censorship” (which is understandable and also worth pointing out that teh First Amendment protection of free speech does not apply to companies, only the government).
Allow me to get political. I think the idea that 8647 necessarily means to kill Trump is a fanciful delusion of MAGA who ironically wants to cancel those who don’t worship their savior after (properly) raging against the cancel culture of the prior administration…the United pilot did nothing wrong. But the Southwest flight attendant is a different story and while I understand (and share her concern) that Trump is wreaking havoc on our nation and the world, the answer to that is the ballot box, not violence. Shame on anyone who resorts to violence to solve political disagreements…that may fit in well with our violent history (see the 20 year assassination process starting with President Lincoln), but should not be the way we handle disagreement.
CONCLUSION
These two cases should not be treated as identical. One appears to involve a direct call for violence while the other hinges on interpretation and symbolism. But both highlight the same underlying issue: airline employees operate in a public-facing role where personal conduct, even off duty, can quickly become a corporate problem.
In today’s environment, that line is getting harder to manage, and incidents like these are likely to become more common. I’m not sure the answer is for companies to prohibit their employees from publicly engaging in social media, but Southwest and United both have a headache on their hands and these sorts of issues seem to be more common than ever.
Oh, so apparently Repukes have cancel culture also? Poor precious snowflakes, go cry in your sour milk.
And, where are all the ‘free speech absolutists’ now? Huh…
Also, Tiktok “Reporter”? Really??
That’s like National Enquirer Journalist or Fox News Professional: an oxymoron.
Or… respectfully… VFTW. (I kid, I kid… we love our dear Thot Leader.)
” a whole civilization will die tonight” DJT maybe MAGA is confused about what comments need to be censored.
The crybabies who whined incessantly about “cancel culture” sure do seem to be heavy into being what they pretended to dislike.
These MAGAts are such snowflakes… get over yourselves, the vast majority of Americans don’t like your cult leader.
Here is the law. “Threatening to murder the President of the United States is a federal felony under 18 U.S.C. § 871, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, fines up to \(\$250,000\), and a permanent criminal record. The law covers knowing and willful threats to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm on the President, Vice President, or their successors.” No one should be permitted to operate an aircraft of any kind if they are too mentally incompetent to understand common law and lack basic self control. The “vast majority” voted for this administration. Learn to count and read. Nevermind the Jersey girl passing out peanuts. She is out.
Uh, no, get your facts straight and educate yourself before posting. Trump.
“A vadt majority voted for Trump. This is not true. An extremely slim majority actually voted for Trump with 49.8% of the votes. This slightly ahead of Harris with 48.3%.
Trump barely won with only an approximate 2 million more votes.
Maybe you should stop watching faux News as they are more of a right wing propaganda channel rather than an objective news source
I love it; you quote the law like it gives your argument authority. And, why quotes around vast majority? (Because it wasn’t vast?)I don’t like Trump, but I probably disagree with the FA and pilot on a lot of issues. I have friends on the left who would use the “better assassins” line while we were drinking. We’d laugh. And, I know my friend intended no actual harm to Trump. I am amazed anyone would think 8647 means anything other than the standard usage. Everybody I know knows you say “86 the special” to signify the special has run out in a restaurant. Or, you say “86 Charlie” when Charlie needs to be kicked out. I have never heard it used as a death threat. Lacking strong contrary evidence, I believe the pilot said nothing worse than “impeach Trump” or “kick him out.”
And Vance lectures others about freedom of speech. The hypocrisy of this junta stinks. Good on those posting and calling out the corrupt rot of Criminal Trump and his sidekicks.
While I think there is a difference between “free speech” and calling for the murder of a siting POTUS, the irony you point out is indeed noted…more so when Trump celebrates the death of people like Mueller or tries to shut down the speech of his political opponents.
“Dance like no one is watching, but post, text, and email like it will be read in court one day.
Sincerely,
Your Lawyer.”
“I think the idea that 8647 necessarily means to kill Trump is a fanciful delusion of MAGA who ironically wants to cancel those who don’t worship their savior after (properly) raging against the cancel culture of the prior administration…”
EXCUSE ME. This President has been the target of no less than 3 assassination attempts. THREE.
“Fanciful delusion” does not apply here.
Neither does the term “worship their savior”.
There is no parallel on the other side of the aisle, you cannot equivocate.
DO better Matt.
There is NO excuse for any kind of behavior such as exhibited by these airline employees who are entrusted with the safety and care of the flying public.
I sincerely do not understand how you can say that because President Trump has had three attacks against him that therefore “8647” means to kill Trump when 86 has different historical meaning. It logically does not follow. What am I missing?
What exactly are these historical alternative meanings of “86”? Feigned ignorance of the term eighty six just demonstrates your ignorance of a term society has been well aware of since the 30’s and forties in an attempt to run cover for the Democrat socialists who are so ready to clutch their pearls when a Republican, much less a MAGA person makes a gender misidentification or other grammatical error not associated with murder.
See for example:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/eighty-six-meaning-origin
To say that it must mean to kill is to fail to understand the historical meaning of the word.
Matthew, I’m rarely a subscriber to conspiracy theories however I think for an asasain to have failed on three separate occasions where Criminal Trump is concerned is highly unlikely and at least two of these occasions were set ups.
Ah. This is how one gets a ballroom
I guess I am older and remember ordering at a restaurant 86 the onion to mean “get rid of”. Forty seven just so happens to be President Trump’s sequential number as president. We still use this language to our servers today, “86 something we don’t want. So 86 = to get rid of + 47 = just what it means with former FBI Comey’s shell spelling. What is amazing to me that a head of one of top law enforcement agencies decided to post it publicly. To me he was just mad. He knew what he was doing. Comey isn’t stupid. I expect better of our top law enforcement agency and more of the one who was their former executive. I get people not liking what President Trump says sometimes, but when do we take the same road and not take the high road even to those above us in position? How many of us have worked for a boss that we didn’t care for and we just should not go there to draw ourselves down to their level. Childish to do so.
So glad you got another post in to express your Trump hatred. Seriously, you need to get some help before you rot your brain even further.
jcil, you sure got him so good… you just forgot to try that ‘TDS’ line for the 1-millionth time. /s
I express my “hatred” for Trump by writing, “Shame on anyone who resorts to violence to solve political disagreements.” What cognitive dissonance you must live with!
I’m not a fan of cancel culture, but I also remember how that rodeo clown got fired for wearing an Obama mask, so I can understand how some people may want these folks to be fired. Maybe people on both sides occasionally getting fired for posting inappropriate comments could help discourage others from doing so.
The Man is a disgusting, disgraceful, embarrassing excuse of a human being and of being a President. That said, I would prefer that he have two Big Mac, large fries, washed down with a large Diet Coke followed by one of their fried apple pies rather than being killed. Then he should excuse himself, retire up to the Residence and fall asleep never to wake again. In this manner, he will have died of sudden stroke or massive unsurvivable heart attack. That way his Cult can’t erroneously say it was a planned attack and won’t be able to venerate their fatted golden ox that they ignorantly worship.
Well said. We don’t want martyrs. Let differences be settled at the ballot box. 183 days until midterms.
Wait, wait. If you’re President they give you the fried apple pies, not the baked new ones? Ladies and gentlemen, I today announce my candidacy for President of the US.
I’ll support this Ohio-based candidate.. who travels Down Under at least once per year.. and enjoys the finer things, like J/F to Europe, too… (by the way, you have a primary election today, May 5, 2026.)
8647 isn’t a call for the death of a fascist demagogue disguised as a president. I could tell you definite things that I believe in that would be calls for his death, because I do believe in calling for deaths. Mango Mussolini, Hillbilly Bear, DL, B6, MX, Neelzebub, homophobe Bastian, my mother, and many, many others. I have no problem whatsoever with calling for death. Life has become far less cheap in our society, and that’s a problem. We need to revert back about five centuries or so.
Oof. I hope you meant all of that as satire.
Absolutely agree Matthew. With everything that you have said and also Marc’s comment about how trump did NOT win in anything close to a landslide.
Mr trump is literally destroying our country and everything else he touches.
Thank you for being brave enough to state your feelings.
No, he didn’t win in a “landslide” or anything close to it, but he did win. His party has also had control of the Congress since the election, but what has the president done with that legislative advantage? Almost nothing. It’s been effectively squandered. Trump’s main legacy will be a whole mess of Executive Orders that the next president can cancel with a stroke of their pen. The man is a fool, and is surrounded by idiots, carpet-baggers, and sycophants. The electoral annihilation that the Republicans are almost certain to suffer in November is well deserved. I’ll be sitting here on the other side of the Pacific with my popcorn at the ready…
Matt – there is going to be more to this story, for sure, at least with the “United Pilot” posting. It took very little investigation to determine that not all may be as it seems with the supposed posting.
1) There is NO “Matt Doogen” on the FAA pilot database, where you can lookup a pilot and see his or her licenses and ratings, most recent medical date, etc. In fact, there is nobody with the last name of “Doogen” in it at all, much less a pilot with that last name, or with one with similar spelling (like “Doogan” or “Doggen”) who has an Airline Transport Pilot’s License and a type rating for a plane United flies. (“Doogan” with an “a” finally produces six results, but none have even a commercial pilot’s license, much less the ATP). While individuals can have their address removed for privacy concerns, pilots cannot have themselves removed from the database entirely. If a pilot with the last name of “Doogen” exists, he would show up in there.
https://amsrvs.registry.faa.gov/airmeninquiry/Main.aspx
2) Multiple pilots that work at United have confirmed with me that the United pilot seniority list does not currently, and has not previously, contained a name “Matt Doogen”. This is NOT because he was just fired. Every pilot I was able to speak with candidly confirmed that the list is updated for pilots once per year, at the beginning of July, and there is not a “Matt Doogen” (or ANYONE with the last name of “Doogen”) on the list that was updated for crews as of July of last year. Pilots at United cannot upgrade to captain in less than a year (per company and union policy), so if this “Matt Doogen” was indeed a United captain, he would have to be working there since before the seniority list was last updated, in July of 2025. And he is not on the list.
Something is fishy about this story. Most likely, either this pilot was using the fake name of “Matt Doogen” to try to remain anonymous on social media, or the post we’ve all seen is photoshop/AI slop. If this does turn out to be completely fabricated, whoever started it could be facing a bit of legal liability. United has a lot of money to spend on attorneys.
Very interesting – would not surprise me if the duplicitous “Libs of TikTok” made this up…such a shady group with supreme double standards (never calling into question the bile spewing from Agent Orange).
“Airlines And Social Media: A Growing Problem”
and you don’t think you are part of the problem, Matthew?
seriously take a look in the mirror
As their employer, I would be upset they used their company uniform in their posts. The company brand wearing your uniform isn’t your’s to broadcast your personal opinion. That is a very hard stop! On their own time and personal social media whatever WITHOUT the uniform. It is disturbing the comments because neither would be appropriate no matter who is president of whatever party. The manners and sensibility of the public have sunk to new lows toward airline employees of which we read on this site. What is amazing is if someone talked directly to an airline pilot, stewards,…these same airline employees would be incensed and rightly so, so why do it to others no matter if a U.S. President or a janitor. Have these airline employees ever thought if they treat others with respect even if you don’t agree with them by setting the example, even in social media, that they too will be also treated with respect. It works both ways.
There’s no need to wish any harm on Trump, he’s been slowly-but-surely 86ing himself with appalling lifestyle choices for decades. He may not drink or smoke, but his diet alone could kill a water buffalo.
My favorite posts in threads like are effectively:
“According to my definition of that word, it means this. I can believe you think it means something else. And, I will not use the internet to look it up, because I might find out my definition is either rarely or not used and yours is the common one. So, you are an idiot if you fail to interpret other’s writings the way I do.”
Calling others ‘stupid’… this existed well before the internet; however, saying that to someone else in-person could lead to getting punched in the fact. Less consequences online, sorta. As to the subjective vs. objective debate… yeah, language/meaning/interpretation is always evolving.
Republicans are the worst hypocrites considering the vitriol that comes from the President constantly. That said, the woman should be fired. She crossed a line, where the pilot’s post may have been foolish, but is nowhere near as severe.
One thing I don’t understand though, why is this a safety issue? Both posts say, would you feel safe on his/her plane? Unless, there is a record of unprofessional behavior on the job, why would anyone feel unsafe? Maybe uncomfortable, but the safety concerns seem very hyperbolic.
It’s obviously hyperbolic, and yes, the hypocrisy is real, but we’ve lost all sense of shame. There really should be a period of truth and reconciliation after the horrors of this era, but in order to earn a lasting peace, we need some more accountability for such hypocrisy, otherwise it’ll just get worse and worse.
I think that’s right…it’s also the way I look at this.
“Publicly advocating violence against a political figure is the kind of behavior that airlines simply cannot ignore”
Our president ignores morals all the time. Why is it ok to kill the leader of Iran but it is somehow a moral outrage when someone says something about the president?