WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump on Friday said he鈥檚 still weighing of Spirit Airlines.
The president didn鈥檛 offer details about the proposal but told reporters as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Florida that he would have an announcement on the matter Friday or Saturday.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at it. If we could do it, we鈥檒l do it. But only if it鈥檚 a good deal,鈥� Trump said.
Trump said he would like to save jobs at the airline and his administration gave Spirit 鈥渁 final proposal.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,鈥� he said.
He likened it to the deal his administration struck to make the U.S. government into a major stockholder of semiconductor manufacturer Intel, but said it was 鈥渁 different kind of a thing.鈥�
Last week, Trump floated the idea of a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit and suggested the U.S. government for a profit once oil prices pushed up by the Iran war drop.
A lawyer for Spirit, meanwhile, told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court a week ago that the airline was in advanced talks with the government on a financing deal that would allow it to exit .
Supporters of the airline鈥檚 rescue included labor groups representing Spirit鈥檚 pilots and flight attendants, who argued that allowing the low-cost carrier to collapse would hurt workers and push fares higher.
Critics, including both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, have raised concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars and questioned whether federal support would amount to a bailout of a company unlikely to recover.
Spirit has struggled with losses for years. The airline in November 2024 and again in August 2025.
With the Iran war driving up for all airlines, creditors last month expressed doubts about Spirit鈥檚 ability to keep operating, raising the possibility that the airline recognized for its bright yellow planes would be forced to sell its assets and stop flying.
___
Yamat reported from Las Vegas.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
