Trump takes credit for the safest year in the history of commercial air travel

REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

• President Donald Trump took credit for the safest year on record in commercial air travel.
• The president said he has been "very strict on Commercial Aviation."

President Donald Trump took credit on Tuesday for the recent news that 2017 was the safest year for commercial air travel on record.

"Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation," Trump tweeted. "Good news — it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!"

It was not immediately clear what exactly Trump was referencing, but the Trump administration had instituted a laptop ban on passengers flying into the US from airports in 10 Muslim-majority nations after intelligence showed that the terror group ISIS was plotting to hide small bombs in laptops and other portable electronics.

The Trump administration also spent much of 2017 battling for the implementation of its controversial travel ban, which barred entry into the country from a series of nations, most of which were Muslim-majority. 

Trump backed a major overhaul of the air traffic control system, but that legislation did not see a floor vote in 2017.

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