United Airlines is facing a growing backlash from MAGA loyalists after grassroots supporters of President Trump discovered that chief executive Scott Kirby had seemingly and dramatically changed his political beliefs after the Republican victory in 2024.
Of particular concern to vocal MAGA influencers like Laura Loomer is United’s prior record on COVID-19 vaccine mandates, the airline’s commitment to environmental sustainability, and its alleged support of DEI initiatives, and other social justice campaigns, like its sponsorship of LGBTQ+ Pride events.
Scott Kirby is the same guy who fired people for refusing to take the COVID jab and spent years acting like a Biden climate cultist. @united
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) March 9, 2026
Now he wants to pretend he’s MAGA by doing a conservative podcast circuit with @StephenM Stephen Miller’s wife? 😅
Scott Kirby is a wolf… https://t.co/XEua99r464 pic.twitter.com/JGjhijZDr7
Perhaps the biggest shock for the political Right, though, is how much Kirby pushed COVID-19 vaccines during the Biden administration, making United the first airline in the U.S. to issue a company-wide vaccine mandate in August 2021.
United Airlines aggressively pushed the mandate long before federal rules required some workers to receive the COVID-19.
Within months of issuing the mandate, around 200 employees had been fired for refusing the shot, and thousands more who had won a religious or medical exemption were put on mandatory unpaid leave for five months.
Kirby aggressively defended the mandate, saying rates of COVID-19 hospitalization amongst his workers were much lower than the U.S. average, while also winning praise from the White House for his tough stance on the issue.
In many ways, United was closely aligned with Democratic causes, issuing name badges with pronouns and allowing employees to wear whatever item of uniform they wished, regardless of gender.
But when President Trump took office, Kirby came out as a surprise supporter of tariffs, despite the pummeling that United’s stock took in the wake of the April 2025 announcement.
By this point, United has already donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and Kirby has consistently positioned himself as a supporter of the President.
This apparent switch from Democrat to Republican went largely unnoticed outside of aviation circles, but now Kirby is being accused of hypocrisy after appearing on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of senior Trump aide Stephen Miller.
Kirby insisted that United only hires solely on merit, although he admitted that the airline seeks candidates from various backgrounds.
In an old interview with Axios, however, Kirby claimed the airline had committed to the fact that half of all candidates entering its Aviate pilot training academy would be women and people of color.
“Scott Kirby is the same guy who fired people for refusing to take the COVID jab and spent years acting like a Biden climate cultist,” slammed Loomer after the old Axios video clip emerged.
“Now he wants to pretend he’s MAGA by doing a conservative podcast circuit with Stephen Miller’s wife? Scott Kirby is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and just another Leftist executive who wants to rewrite history to infiltrate the MAGA movement.”
The apparent switch-up in Kirby’s political beliefs is nothing new to industry observers, but when someone like Laura Loomer notices, you can expect the wider MAGA movement to also start paying attention.
Not that United has completely reversed course on some of its policies: unlike companies like Target and PepsiCo, United was still actively sponsoring Pride events in 2025, and the airline continues to pursue environmental goals, including the use of sustainable aviation fuel.
This stuff was widely publicized at the time and is years old.