Mehdi Hasan Deletes “Poorly Worded” Tweet; Vance Calls Journalist “Dummy”

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – Journalist Mehdi Hasan removed a social media post after facing criticism from what he described as “MAGA and Islamophobic folks.”

On February 16, Hasan, 45, posted, “Make American Plane Crash Again,” in response to news of a fatal plane crash at Georgia’s Covington Airport. The phrase, a play on former President Donald Trump’s slogan, sparked backlash, with some accusing Hasan of inciting violence.

The following day, Hasan shared a screenshot of his deleted post, explaining that bad-faith actors were taking it out of context. “I was obviously mocking the MAGA slogan and highlighting the shocking number of plane crashes under Trump and the FAA cuts,” he wrote. However, he acknowledged the wording was in “poor taste” and had led to accusations of terrorism, even drawing FBI scrutiny.

Hasan also criticized conservatives for what he called hypocrisy over free speech, a theme that resurfaced in his exchange with Vice President J.D. Vance. After Hasan tagged Vance in a post questioning Trump’s decision to ban the Associated Press from the White House, Vance dismissed him as a “dummy.”

The controversy unfolded as the Trump administration moved to fire hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees.