'Musk Conflict' FAA Chief Resigns... Second After FBI Chief

Mike Whittaker, Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), announced on the 12th (local time) that he will resign before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. This is the second time that a U.S. agency head with a guaranteed term has expressed an intention to resign before Trump’s inauguration.

According to The New York Times (NYT) and others, Whittaker sent a statement to FAA employees on the day, stating that he will complete his term on January 20, 2025.

Mike Whittaker, former FAA Administrator. Photo by Getty Images Yonhap News.

January 20 is the day of Trump’s inauguration and the end of President Joe Biden’s term.

Whittaker took office in October 2023. If he had completed his five-year term, he would have served until the end of the Trump administration, but he expressed his intention to resign after only one year and three months. He previously served as FAA Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Supernal, Hyundai Motor Group’s urban air mobility (UAM) subsidiary.

Foreign media including the NYT pointed out that Whittaker’s resignation inevitably creates a leadership vacuum at the FAA. Deputy Administrator Katie Thomson’s term runs until January 10 next year.

Foreign media attribute Whittaker’s resignation to conflicts with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, a close associate of President-elect Trump. The FAA repeatedly banned launches, citing investigations into SpaceX rocket malfunctions. In September, when the FAA fined SpaceX $633,000 (about 900 million KRW) for violations of licensing and safety regulations, Musk threatened to sue the FAA for exceeding regulatory authority and called for Whittaker’s resignation. However, an FAA spokesperson told CNN that Whittaker is resigning due to personal family matters.

Meanwhile, the day before, Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced he would step down before Trump’s inauguration. This is the second time that a U.S. agency head with a guaranteed term has expressed an intention to resign ahead of Trump’s inauguration to minimize political interference.