President Donald Trump said he opposes a potential merger between American Airlines and United Airlines, while suggesting the federal government could help keep struggling Spirit Airlines afloat.
Speaking Tuesday on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Trump said he was not in favor of a tie-up between two of the nation’s largest carriers.
“I just heard it a few days ago. I know them both very well. I don’t like it, no," he said.
The president moved on to say that he did not “mind mergers” in general, and that he would welcome a deal that might save Spirit Airlines from going out of business. He also floated the idea of federal assistance for the discount airline.
“I’d love somebody to buy Spirit, it’s 14,000 jobs," he said. "Maybe the federal government should help that one out."
Trump said American and United, by contrast, are still in good shape and don't need a merger.
"American is doing fine, and United is doing very well," he said. "They’re doing very well. I don’t like having them merge.”
Speculation about a possible merger has circulated for about a week after reports said United CEO Scott Kirby had pitched the idea to Trump administration officials. American said on April 17 that it was “not engaged with or interested in any discussions" regarding a merger with United, and that such a combination would be “negative for competition and for consumers.”
The prospect of creating an airline industry behemoth nonetheless drew bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill. Based on federal government data for February 2025 through January 2026, a combined American–United carrier would control more than one-third of the domestic market.
On April 19, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) sent a letter to Kirby and American CEO Robert Isom opposing the idea. Warren chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Economic Policy, while Lee chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights.
The senators warned that a combined United–American carrier could use its market power to raise fares, reduce routes, restrict smaller rivals’ access to airport gates, and suppress wages and benefits across the industry.
“Any proposed merger between United Airlines and American Airlines raises serious questions under antitrust law and raises the likelihood of harm for American consumers,” they wrote.
Spirit, meanwhile, is still in a restructuring after filing for bankruptcy protection in August 2025. The Florida-based airline said in March that it has been working to sell some planes and scale back operations to focus on its "strongest routes and markets" including Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, and the New York area.
Other low-cost airlines have attempted to buy Spirit, but the deals fell apart.
Last February, Spirit rejected Frontier Airlines’ $2.16 billion takeover proposal. Frontier was previously outbid by JetBlue, whose effort to acquire Spirit was challenged by the Department of Justice in March 2023.
A federal judge sided with the government to block JetBlue's $3.8 billion offer in 2024, and that plan was eventually abandoned.