The Matt Walsh Show - Episode 1701 Title: I Did A Deep Dive Into The Air Traffic Control Subreddit And What I Found Is DISTURBING
Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Matt Walsh (The Daily Wire)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Walsh presents his investigative dive into online forums used by American air traffic controllers—specifically Reddit communities—and uncovers what he characterizes as "disturbing" attitudes and potential dangers within that workforce. Walsh ties his findings to a broader critique of government bureaucracy, alleged declining standards, increasing political radicalization among public employees, and the risks these pose to public safety. He interweaves this analysis with commentary on recent political events, Trump’s remarks about Somali immigrants, Quentin Tarantino’s film rankings, and a viral incident involving a driverless taxi.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Air Traffic Control: A Looming Disaster?

(01:01–03:52)

• Walsh revisits his ongoing concern about the U.S. air traffic control system, referencing frequent near-accidents and a recent mid-air collision at Washington’s Reagan Airport.
• He attributes these incidents to systemic issues, including FAA hiring practices, which he claims have deprioritized competence for diversity.

Notable Insight

“When a pending catastrophe seems obvious to you, even if you’re not an expert...there’s a very good chance that you’ll be right and the experts are wrong, as they so often are, particularly if those experts are politically motivated, which almost all of them are.” — Matt Walsh (02:21)

2. The Mid-Air Collision: What Went Wrong?

(03:52–07:22)

• Matt reviews ATC audio from the Reagan Airport incident, critiquing both pilot and controller responses.
• He notes a lack of specific ATC guidance, an overworked controller, and a culture of self-deception in ATC ranks.

“When you allow two aircraft to fly into one another, by definition, the situation was not manageable.” — Matt Walsh (06:26)

3. The Real Threat: Unhinged ATC Redditors

(07:22–26:59)

• Walsh claims that many air traffic controllers, especially on Reddit, are unfit or mentally unstable, openly discussing sabotaging flights and acting out political vendettas.
• He reads and analyzes multiple Reddit posts from supposed ATC employees, including:
  • Suggestions to intentionally delay or sabotage Air Force One.
  • Endorsements of theoretically causing harm to the President.
  • Expressions of desire to “speedrun the collapse” of the United States for political reasons.
  • Bragging about exploiting sick leave as retaliation for perceived slights.

Key Reddit Post Example & Analysis

(11:01)

“Give the private jets a few extra circles before landing.”
“Air Force One, go around, fly runway heading.”
— Upvoted ATC subreddit responses to a Trump meme

Walsh:

“A real human being in real life suggested that Air Force One should be intentionally crashed to kill the President. And real human beings reacted approvingly to that statement. And those human beings are in air traffic control… That’s a problem. It’s like a big problem.” (12:36)

Broader Critique

• Walsh argues these aren’t isolated trolls but indicative of a larger culture among government-employed controllers, whose entitlement he links to union protection and lack of accountability.

Additional Examples

• Threats to delay Cabinet members’ planes.
• Celebrating unprofessional or even criminal on-the-job behavior.
• Plans to mass “call in sick” to protest government labor policies.

“You can behave extremely unprofessionally as a controller and actually come out ahead of where you were before…This is the culture among government employees who direct planes for a living.” (17:28)

Radicalization and Calls for Action

• Walsh reads vague but ominous calls for “action” in the forums, likening the sentiment to conspiratorial radicalization.

4. The Need for Federal Action

• Walsh recommends federal investigation into such online threats, background checks, and even subpoenas for those advocating illegal actions—including sick leave fraud and conspiracy to harm politicians.
• Points out that even when dangerous ATC behavior is reported (e.g., drinking, drug use), discipline is minimal due to union protections (24:35–25:42).

“That’s how low the standards are, and that’s how powerful the union is. You can come to work drunk as an air traffic controller and you might not even be fired, when in reality, of course, you should be fired and then put in prison for a long time.” (25:22)

5. Privatization as Solution

• Argues privatization would create the accountability lacking in the current system (22:00, 25:42).

6. Political Headlines

(29:28–35:29)

• Tennessee Special Election: Republican Matt Van Epps wins, but with a much slimmer margin than Trump or previous GOP candidates—Walsh frames this as bad news for Republicans despite the win.

“It’s like, imagine that you… ran for Congress against a tapeworm and won by nine points.” (32:48)

7. Trump’s Remarks on Somali Immigrants

(35:36–44:53)

• Plays Trump's recent comments: “They contribute nothing… We don't want them in our country.” (35:36)
• Walsh fully endorses Trump’s remarks, doubling down that Somali immigrants confer no benefit to America, and argues immigration should not be treated as charity.

“It’d be a list that… is just a giant blank space would be the list of Somalian contributions. And that’s just, again, that’s just the fact.” (40:17)

“Citizenship is not charity, okay? Citizenship is not a soup kitchen.” (43:47)

8. Minnesota Paid Family Leave Law Critique

(45:59–54:25)

• Describes the new law (20 weeks of paid leave/year) as a recipe for mass fraud and business destruction; sees it as “childish” leftist utopianism that ignores reality.

“If you’re going to do 20 weeks, why not… mandate that people can take off for as long as they want?… Why not just mandate paid, indefinite leave for everyone in the state?” (53:12)

9. Tarantino’s Top Movies & Walsh’s Counter-List

(56:00–62:30)

• Criticizes Quentin Tarantino’s “Top 10 Films of the 21st Century,” particularly the inclusion of Toy Story 3 and Mad Max Fury Road.
• Walsh offers his own list, with No Country for Old Men as his #1, calling it possibly his favorite movie ever.

“Mad Max Fury Road is one of the most overrated films maybe ever. I mean, it, it’s… not a great film.” (57:18)

10. AI Taxis and the Human Factor

(62:30–67:51)

• Discusses a viral incident where a Waymo (driverless taxi) drove through a police standoff.
• Contrasts technological efficiency and safety with what he describes as the loss of “humanity” in automation—even if AI “wins the safety contest.”

“It will win the safety contest… But we should still reject it because it loses the human contest. That’s what it loses.” (67:22)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Air Traffic Control Radicalization:
  “These are people who shouldn’t be allowed to… probably make a sandwich, but they’re directing planes full of innocent passengers every single day.” (15:23)
• On Union Protections:
  “You can come to work drunk as an air traffic controller and you might not even be fired…” (25:22)
• On Somali Immigration:
  “It’d be a list… just a giant blank space would be the list of Somalian contributions.” (40:17)
• Citizenship, Not Charity:
  “Citizenship is not a soup kitchen. Citizenship is not a charity drive.” (43:47)
• On Paid Family Leave Law:
  “You have to pay them to not work. You have to hire someone else to replace them… for 20 weeks, and then you have to give them their job back.” (50:26)
• On AI and Humanity:
  “We should still reject it because it loses the human contest. That’s what it loses.” (67:22)

Memorable Moments

• Walsh’s satirical ranking of how little celebration is deserved when beating a “deer ticket” or “tapeworm” candidate in an election. (32:48)
• The ATC subreddit’s response to a Trump meme escalating into literal fantasizing about crashing Air Force One. (11:01, 12:36)
• Walsh’s riff on workplace leave abuse, envisioning a dystopian world of endless paid vacations. (53:12)
• Humorous but pointed story about bad Uber drivers versus driverless AIs: “If he had actually killed me… that would have been at most a 10% tip.” (65:03)

Important Timestamps

• 01:01 – ATC disaster prediction & mid-air collision background
• 03:52 – Reagan collision ATC tapes
• 11:01 – ATC Reddit posts: hostility to Trump
• 12:46 – Open threats to Air Force One/forums
• 17:07 – Controller entitlement over a denied $10,000 bonus
• 24:35 – New York Times report: ATC under influence; oversight failures
• 29:28 – Tennessee election analysis
• 35:36 – Trump’s remarks on Somali immigrants
• 43:47 – Defining citizenship versus charity
• 45:59 – Minnesota paid family leave law
• 56:00 – Tarantino top 10 movies list vs. Walsh’s picks
• 62:30 – Waymo self-driving taxi/police standoff and the “human contest”

Tone

Direct, sardonic, unapologetically critical, blending serious concerns with sharp humor and cultural commentary.

For listeners and non-listeners alike, Walsh’s episode weaves together government accountability (or the lack thereof), the perils of unchecked bureaucratic cultures, political polarization reaching into public institutions, evolving threats from technology, and the perennial culture war in America—all grounded in his trademark polemical style.