Outrage Erupts as Fox News Pundit Equates Slavery to Plane Crashes in Bizarre Smithsonian Defense

A firestorm of criticism has erupted following astounding remarks by Fox News pundit Kevin Jackson, who, in an attempt to defend former President Donald Trump’s attacks on the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), astonishingly compared the institution's focus on slavery to a hypothetical aviation museum dwelling solely on plane crashes.

The comments, widely condemned as deeply insensitive and historically misguided, instantly sparked outrage across social media and beyond.

Jackson’s controversial take came during a segment where he sought to rationalize Trump's earlier assertion that the NMAAHC was "one-sided" and needed "some balancing." Rather than offering a nuanced perspective, Jackson plunged headlong into a baffling analogy.

"If you had a museum for planes, would you have the only thing you talk about is plane crashes?" Jackson posited, seemingly equating the systemic brutality and generational trauma of chattel slavery to isolated, tragic mechanical failures. He further elaborated, suggesting that a focus on slavery ignores "white people who fought to free slaves," a distorted attempt to reframe a central pillar of American history.

The pundit’s comments were made in the context of Trump's recurring criticisms of the NMAAHC, an institution that stands as a vital testament to the profound impact of African American history and culture on the United States.

Trump had previously lamented the museum's alleged promotion of "Black Lives Matter radicalism," signaling a broader discomfort with how the nation confronts its racial past. Jackson’s defense, however, rather than assuaging concerns, only amplified the contentious nature of the discussion, demonstrating a profound lack of understanding regarding the unique historical significance of slavery.

Critics were quick to point out the inherent absurdity and profound insensitivity of equating slavery—a brutal institution that forcibly stripped millions of people of their humanity, inflicted untold suffering, and laid the groundwork for centuries of racial inequality—with the unfortunate but unrelated incidents of airplane malfunctions.

The comparison trivializes the immense human cost of slavery, reducing a foundational and traumatic chapter of American history to a mere technical blip. It ignores the deliberate, systemic nature of slavery and the ongoing legacy of its impact.

The incident underscores a persistent tension in American discourse about race and history, particularly concerning how institutions like the Smithsonian choose to represent complex, often painful truths.

While a museum dedicated to aviation would indeed showcase the triumphs and advancements of flight, it would also, by necessity, acknowledge and learn from failures to ensure safety and progress. However, to equate the historical imperative of acknowledging and understanding slavery with a mere "crash" is to fundamentally misunderstand history, trauma, and the very purpose of a museum dedicated to the African American experience.

The backlash against Jackson's comments serves as a stark reminder of the gravity of these historical narratives and the responsibility of public figures to engage with them thoughtfully and respectfully.