Boeing's image so tarnished even Biden cracks joke at company's expense

Recent plane problems and near-disasters have cast a pall over Boeing, one of just two major airplane manufacturers in the world. In fact, the company's reputation is so tarnished that even President Joe Biden poked fun at it.

On Thursday, Biden went to Radio City Music Hall in Midtown Manhattan for a major fundraiser featuring former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and high-profile celebrities like Lizzo and actress Mindy Kaling. As expected, Biden flew into town on Air Force One, one of two 747-200B planes customized by Boeing to suit the security and pageantry needs of U.S. presidents.

During the event, host Stephen Colbert took a shot at Boeing by asking Biden whether Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had reinforced the bolts on the plane before Biden boarded for NYC, the New York Post reported.

Biden, 81, then responded with a humorous crack of his own: "I don’t sit by the door."

Perhaps realizing that his handlers and other members of the Democratic Party would likely not be happy that he had just publicly insulted one of the biggest, most powerful companies in the world, Biden then attempted to walk his words back. "I’m only kidding," he quickly added. "I shouldn’t joke about that."

The snide quip from the sitting president of the United States comes after an Alaska Airlines flight from Oregon to California was forced to make an emergency landing after a door panel blew out mid-flight in January, as Blaze News previously reported. Though thankfully no one was injured, the incident did spark concerns about quality control and safety at Boeing, and Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci eventually admitted that there were "some loose bolts on many of our MAX 9s."

The bolts were not Boeing's only problem. Earlier this month, another Alaska Airlines plane landed with a cracked inner windshield, and a whistleblower testifying against Boeing was found dead of a gunshot wound, perhaps by his own hand.

These issues prompted CEO Dave Calhoun and other top Boeing executives to announce this week that they would leave the company at the end of the year. "The eyes of the world are on us," Calhoun's statement read in part, "and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years."

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