As thousands of Americans remain stranded across the Middle East due to widespread airspace closures and suspended commercial flights, news that a small group of well-connected travelers escaped the region aboard a private jet thanks to help from the Trump administration is drawing sharp criticism. While I certainly don’t begrudge them for using their social capital to their advantage, the optics are not great…
Politically Connected Trump Adviser Flees Middle East On Private Jet As Stranded Americans Fume
A Trump political adviser and several well-connected travelers managed to escape the Middle East on a chartered private jet while tens of thousands of ordinary Americans remain stuck across the region with limited options to get home.
The group included Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, a social media strategist closely aligned with the president, along with several associates including an influencer from Dallas known for documenting her dog-walking business on TikTok.
The group boarded a privately chartered aircraft and flew from Doha, Qatar to Athens, Greece after coordinating assistance through contacts within the White House and regional governments. Bruesewitz paid for the charter, but it required a lot of coordination, with help from a number of high-ranking officials including:
- James Blair – White House Deputy Chief of Staff who reportedly helped coordinate communications with U.S. officials and regional partners
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) – U.S. congresswoman who assisted in contacting officials and helping coordinate the effort to secure a route out of the region
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani – Prime Minister of Qatar, who was personally credited by Bruesewitz for helping facilitate safe passage from the Gulf
- Officials in Saudi Arabia – Saudi authorities reportedly cooperated in enabling the group’s departure during the regional aviation shutdown
- Kimberly Guilfoyle – U.S. Ambassador to Greece, whose embassy staff helped arrange for the private jet to land in Athens on short notice
Bruesewitz later described the ordeal as “the craziest experience” of his life, saying Iranian missiles had been flying overhead during the conflict escalation that has now shut down much of the region’s airspace.
But the optics of the evacuation have proven controversial.
Thousands Of Americans Still Stranded
The private flight comes at a time when many Americans remain trapped across the Middle East as airlines suspend service and governments scramble to respond to a rapidly escalating conflict.
Commercial aviation across the Gulf has been severely disrupted as Iranian missile and drone attacks triggered widespread airspace closures. Airports in several countries have repeatedly halted operations or drastically reduced flights, leaving travelers with canceled itineraries and few alternatives.
At the same time, the U.S. State Department has issued urgent guidance instructing Americans in multiple countries to depart “using available commercial transportation.” For many travelers, however, that advice has proven difficult to follow because commercial transportation simply does not exist right now.
We’ve seen news screen after news screen over the last 48 hours with a telephone number for Americans to call for support to get out of the Middle East (202.501.4444), but when you actually call (as I did) you are treated to this recorded message:
“Please do no rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation at this time.”
If you wish to hold to speak to someone you can, but I waited hours to speak to someone before giving up…
A Tale Of Two Evacuations
The private jet evacuation has fueled frustration among some stranded Americans who say they have received little practical assistance beyond the directive to leave if possible. That does not strike me as particularly partisan or controversial, though it has incensed Brueswitz and other MAGA disciples:
More than a million Americans are believed to be in the broader Middle East region, and while thousands have managed to return home in recent days, some with the help of the U.S. State Department, which is now beginning to charter flights, many remain unable to secure flights as airlines cautiously attempt to resume operations.
In one sense, it’s just the old story that of course the rich are going to have more resources to deal with disaster. But as missiles and drones reign over tourist hotspots, it did take some phone calls, texts, and emails to coordinate this evacuation effort, even if the White House did not pay for it.
To summarize why some feel outrage:
- Leaving the region required diplomatic clearances, not just money.
- Overflight permissions, airport slots, and landing approvals had to be coordinated quickly.
- That level of coordination is simply not available to ordinary stranded travelers.
That “favoritism” for a sycophantic political supporter doesn’t sound like “drain the swamp” to me.
CONCLUSION
The evacuation of a politically connected operative aboard a private jet underscores the stark reality of the current crisis: when commercial aviation collapses during a spiraling regional conflict, the ability to leave often depends on connections and resources.
In reality, chartering a private jet is only part of the equation during a regional airspace shutdown. Even if you can pay for the aircraft, a flight like this still requires multiple government approvals: overflight clearances from countries along the route, departure authorization from the airport of origin, and landing rights at the destination.
When large portions of Middle Eastern airspace are closed due to military activity, those approvals become even more complicated because routes may change by the hour and diplomatic channels must coordinate safe corridors. Without government officials picking up the phone and clearing the path, that private jet would likely have never left the ground.
For the thousands of Americans still waiting for flights as airspace across the Middle East gradually reopens, the episode is unlikely to inspire much confidence that help is on the way anytime soon, but I can hardly blame Bruesewitz for doing what he did…
top image: @Alex Bruesewitz / X
Is anybody surprised at this point? The right is comprised of either a “phob” of some-kind or a grifter. That’s it. Sometimes both.
When stupid idiots were created you were first in line.
I guess you were there too to see him first in line.
Perhaps the most shocking is that a Dallas dog walker documenting her walks on Tik Tok has so much of a following so as to have these connections. America, lol. Trump’s America. Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock, and the Dog Walker of Dallas. *face palms*
Have you heard of anyone that has requested assistance?
Also seen they have a form on the website to fill out to ask for assistance in finding flights out of specific countries, it says they will notify you when flights become available.
On the bright side, turns out her dog walking account is pretty awesome. It’s a golden retriever mecca (the term seemed appropriate here…)
Another tone deaf remark from the administration that specializes in such
As always it’s not what you but who you know!
Good for those that can get out, but, as you can see, it’s a privilege. We used to be so much better than this; if we were gonna do something like this, we’d plan for it, ensure our people are taken care of, help our allies, too. Sloppy.
Too bad it wasn’t blown out of the sky.
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” once said Orwell.
Unless you’re rich, famous or well-connected, expect your government to not come to your aid abroad very quickly if at all. When crisis hits, a government’s priorities show, and governments most typically don’t see the average citizen as a person as much as a number (if even that).
In a crisis abroad, it is more the exception than the norm for a government to be as helpful as your own fellow ordinary citizens and the locals around you. All our tax money and fees paid to our national governments and yet the senior-most officials and elected national officials really would rather do the business of big donors and lobbyists who keep the revolving door and contracts lucrative and in motion for themselves and their near and dear ones.
Shame on the charter company for putting their crews at unnecessary risk to do this.
While sad, this is not exactly surprising. It’s not like a single person at the Cabinet level or higher in this administration cares one iota about normal people. Is anyone truly taken aback by this news?
I hope they have fun in Greece. THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!!!!!!
Bottom line: He PAID for the flight out of his own pocket. End of story. Faux outrage. Get a life, people.
Bottom line: all the money in the world would not have been able to get him out of Doha without help from well-connected Trump officials. Wake up, bootlicker.
Looks like you didn’t bother reading the post. It involved a lot of people that I bet you wouldn’t even know.
Get over it people. I assure you that if a billionaire Dem donor was there he would have done the exact same thing. This didn’t take a seat away from anyone trying to get out and was privately funded. No problem whatsoever. Those of you complaining are just jealous you don’t have the money/connections to make it happen or you have severe TDS just looking for something to whine about. So sad.
It’s not that someone called for a favor. It’s that they went to great lengths to connect them to an exit while raising the middle finger to 200K other people. And yes, if a Dem had done this under the same situation it would be called out equally. But the reality is that a Dem President would not have ordered such a massive WAR without approval and preparation. And only after told people to GET OUT with no plan. That’s the difference.
Actually many Democratic presidents have initiated military campaigns without Congressional approval. Both Clinton and Obama undertook such missions. Now incompetent Joe Biden couldn’t even coordinate withdrawal from Afghanistan let alone initiate an action. BTW nice to live in a country that takes decisive action. Many others will benefit from our courage.
Exactly. Most of the commenters are the usual ones who complain about everything. Going on websites to complain is how they get their fun.
Good for them. As all of us travel pros learn, you fix the problem first and worry about how it happened and cost after. If I had those connections and was willing to use my own money I’d do it also
This story has been debunked days ago. Your TDS is tiresome
LOL. Nothing was “debunked” sycophant.
Did the actions taken by the U.S. have an adverse effect on other U. S. citizens getting out? Would the government have done the same for a well-positioned Dem supporter? If the answers are (in order) “no” and “yes,” then I’m fine with this. Any other combination, I’ll condemn it.
I learned a long time ago that it is best not to discuss politics.
….. and that is why the country is in the mess it is. What doesn’t’ get discussed — and discussed a lot by most people — doesn’t get fixed. The politics and the country get broken when people surrender democracy to others and think it best not to discuss politics.
Indeed.
I’m outraged.
There. Another click on another nothing story.
This story certainly highlights special treatment and efforts made for a few privileged “elite” Americans, but I think that’s largely true for any Administration. This story doesn’t paint the Trump administration in a great light, but does anyone think Dems like Biden or Harris wouldn’t have pulled similar strings for their own coterie of friends and advisers? At least we’re not talking about assured/expedited organ transplants for elites in China.
This administration and those in its orbit exemplify entitlement. Anyone surprised by this story sure has not been paying attention.