Iowa Dem who claims to ‘struggle’ owns $1.55M mansion and Florida waterfront condo
Iowa Democrat Christina Bohannan has built her campaign for Congress around the image of a hard-working, middle-class advocate who understands what it’s like “to struggle to put food on the table.”
However, her real estate portfolio and financial disclosures paint a very different picture — one of expensive homes, a Florida waterfront condo and lucrative stock investments that place Bohannan among the wealthy elite she claims to want to fight against in Congress.
“You know, I know what it’s like to work so hard and to, to still struggle to put food on the table,” Bohannan previously told a crowd at the Iowa State Fair. Throughout her multiple campaigns – Bohannan has run for the same seat in the House for the past two elections and lost – she has touted her history of growing up in a trailer park and being forced to choose “between putting groceries in the cart and filling prescription drugs.”
In an interview with Iowa Public Radio, Bohannan reportedly reiterated once again that “she knows what it’s like to struggle.”
TRUMP LANDS ANOTHER LEGAL VICTORY AS LAWSUIT AGAINST IOWA POLLSTER, DES MOINES REGISTER REMAINS IN STATE COURT
However, Bohannan’s own financial disclosures and local real estate records paint a picture that clashes with her alleged working-class image. In June, Bohannan purchased University of Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery’s $1.55 million mansion in Iowa City, while for years she has also owned a waterfront condo inside a gated community in Sarasota, Florida. The gated community sells homes ranging from as little as $300,000 to over $1 million, plus requires thousands in annual homeowner’s fees.
Meanwhile, according to Bohannan’s financial disclosures, her Sarasota condo has also helped her net as much as $50,000 in rental income annually.
Bohannan’s own financial filings also show that she and her husband own over six-figures in individual tech stocks, such as Apple, Alphabet and Meta, from which they have not divested despite Bohannan’s “ETHICS PLAN” proposal aimed at compelling members of Congress to cease trading stocks while serving on Capitol Hill.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bohannan for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Bohannan is set to take on Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
SEE IT: SUSPECTED DRUNKEN DRIVER’S WRONG-WAY HEAD-ON CRASH CAUGHT ON DEPUTY’S DASHBOARD CAMERA
Earlier this month, Bohannan attempted to stir backlash against her GOP opponent over her “true values,” pointing to a photo of Miller-Meeks sitting first-class on an airplane, “as her constituents suffer from Trump’s policies.”
“This photo tells you more about Miller-Meeks’ true values than her entire town hall did,” Bohannan wrote in a tweet that included an alleged image of her Republican opponent flying first class.
But the attempted jab did not go unnoticed by a locally elected district supervisor, Austin Hayek, who slammed Bohannan for worrying about Miller-Meeks sitting first class when she had just bought a $1.55 million mansion.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Christina Bohannan is concerned with 1st class – weird since she just bought a $1.55 million dollar home,” Hayek commented on Bohannan’s photo of Miller-Meeks allegedly sitting first class. “Seems she’s wanting others to share the wealth, but not herself and she cares more about her personal living than the ‘poor,'” the local elected official concluded. “Stop the virtue signally .”
Ukraine agrees to US-backed peace deal to end Russia war, US official says
Ukraine has agreed to a peace deal that would see an end to the war with Russia, a U.S. official told Fox News.
Some minor details of the agreement are still to be sorted out, the official said.
RUSSIAN ATTACK ON UKRAINE LEAVES 25 DEAD IN TERNOPIL AFTER MASSIVE OVERNIGHT STRIKES
Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesman for U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, had told Fox News that Driscoll and his team met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the framework for a Ukraine peace deal.
“The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronized with the White House and the U.S. interagency as these talks progress,” said Tolbert.
SOME EUROPEAN LEADERS WARY OF US APPROACH TO UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AS UK, FRANCE PLAN NEW MEETING
A U.S. official told Fox News that the Ukrainian delegation was also in Abu Dhabi and was in contact with Driscoll and his team.
The diplomatic flurry over the weekend followed the leak of the 28-point peace plan to Axios, which many European leaders and U.S. lawmakers viewed as largely favorable to Russia.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said on X that the initial proposal by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was a “surrender document for Ukraine that would have left it at the mercy of Russia for decades to come.”
He said the latest version, developed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s involvement and input from Ukrainian and European officials, was a better plan.
“We must stand on [the] side of freedom & rule of law,” Bacon wrote.
Ukraine’s decision to agree to the deal came hours after Russia launched an overnight attack on Kyiv that killed at least six people and injured 13,
The strikes on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure came as U.S. and Ukrainian officials met over the weekend in Geneva to discuss the 28-point peace plan being pushed by the Trump administration to end the nearly four-year war.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, cited the talks in Geneva in addressing his country’s agreement to major parts of a peace plan.
“We appreciate the productive and constructive meetings held in Geneva between the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations, as well as President Trump’s steadfast efforts to end the war,” Umerov wrote on X. “Our delegations reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva. We now count on the support of our European partners in our further steps.”
Umerov added that his country looks forward to Zelenskyy visiting the U.S. “at the earliest suitable date” in order “to complete final steps and make a deal with President Trump.”
Car set ablaze, couple beaten as gang takes over streets while police delayed
New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino is speaking out after a violent mob took over a Queens neighborhood she represents, leaving a couple beaten and a car engulfed in flames over the weekend.
“This was a planned attack. This is all preempted. They were prepared to do exactly what they did,” Paladino said Tuesday on “Fox & Friends,” describing how the mob blocked off intersections and set a vehicle ablaze while another resident was being beaten nearby.
The attack began around 12:30 a.m. Sunday after a group of drivers were seen speeding across residential lawns and doing doughnuts on the corner of South Drive and 141st Street in Malba, a neighborhood located in Queens, according to the New York Post.
A private security guard who tried to defuse the situation was attacked by the crowd and had his vehicle set on fire, Paladino shared previously.
‘NOBODY’S IN CONTROL’ AS CHAOTIC STREET TAKEOVERS TERRORIZE CITIES ACROSS US: CRIME EXPERT
Paladino claimed a lengthy police response time added to the problem, as New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he intends to keep the NYPD force at its current budgeted number of 35,000 officers.
“[It’s] a sufficient number. What we have to do, however, is allow those officers to focus on policing. And what I mean by that is that in 2020, the response time for the NYPD was less than 11 minutes. Today, it’s closer to 16 minutes. A large part of that is because officers are now having to deal with 200,000 mental health calls a year,” Mamdani told NBC News on Sunday.
ORGANIZED CRIME RINGS DRIVE STREET TAKEOVERS BY USING KIDS TO STEAL CARS FOR WILD STUNTS: EXPERT
“So our proposal is create a Department of Community Safety, task it with the mental health crisis, the homelessness crisis. And allow officers to focus on serious crimes.”
Paladino voiced concern that Mamdani could be “talking out of both sides of his mouth,” telling Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that the democratic socialist will ultimately be a “wait and see mayor.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“As soon as Jan. 1 comes along, bam,” she said.
“Thank God we have [NYPD commissioner] Jessica Tisch.”
Midwest university quietly advising parents to ‘re-educate’ kids on ‘Whiteness Pandemic’
FIRST ON FOX: A website belonging to the “Culture and Family Lab” at Minnesota’s flagship university hosts a webpage warning against a “whiteness pandemic” that provides “resources” on how to “halt and reverse” the issue.
“If you were born or raised in the United States, you have grown up in the Whiteness Pandemic, and you can play a role in halting and reversing this pandemic, especially if you are White because of the power and privilege you hold in this racialized society,” explains the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities webpage, which is part of the Institute of Child Development.
“If you were socialized into the culture of Whiteness during childhood, it is not your fault, but as an adult it is now your responsibility to self-reflect, re-educate yourself, and act. If you are a White adult, antiracist action involves an ongoing process of self-reflection in order to develop a healthy positive White identity while engaging in courageous antiracist parenting/caregiving.”
Parents rights’ watchdog Defending Education put out a report on Tuesday outlining the university’s efforts.
WATCHDOG: HOW UNIVERSITIES ARE REBRANDING DEI TO SKIRT TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN
The website goes on to explain that racism should be viewed as an “epidemic” or “pandemic” but that “another” pandemic is “lurking” behind and driving that issue. The “whiteness pandemic.”
Several experts are listed on the website, some of whom provide resources on the subject, including some subject matter meant “especially for white parents” mentioning the death of George Floyd, along with tips on how to develop a “healthy white racial identity.”
“Whiteness refers to culture, not biology: the centuries-old culture of Whiteness features colorblindness, passivity, and White fragility, which are all covert expressions of racism common in the United States,” the university says.
“Naming the Whiteness Pandemic shifts our gaze from the victims and effects of racism onto the systems that perpetrate and perpetuate racism, starting with the family system. At birth, young children growing up in White families begin to be socialized into the culture of Whiteness, making the family system one of the most powerful systems involved in systemic racism.”
BLUE SCHOOL DISTRICT HIT WITH FEDERAL COMPLAINT ALLEGING IT ‘SIDESTEPPED’ LAW DEPRIVING PARENT OF TRANSPARENCY
One of the papers on the website that surveyed mostly liberal White female mothers with an average income over $125,000, concluded that “Family socialization into the centuries-old culture of Whiteness – involving colorblindness, passivity, and fragility – perpetrates and perpetuates U.S. racism, reflecting an insidious Whiteness pandemic.”
Funding for the project comes from a variety of sources, including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Other resources listed on the site include literature from Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, along with a link titled, “How to explain white privilege in terms simple enough for a child.”
Rhyen Staley, research director at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital, “This far-left programming at a major public university is another example of how ingrained DEI is in higher education and is not going away any time soon.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Staley added, “It is not only concerning that these programs appear to still be up and running, but that absurd ideas like ‘whiteness’ also gain legitimacy through dubious activist-academic ‘scholarship.’ Universities must end this nonsense yesterday.”
A University of Minnesota spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement that the school is “steadfast in its commitment to the principles of academic freedom.”
Last month, Fox News Digital first reported on a report from Defending Education revealing that the University of Minnesota is supplying K-12 teachers with ethnic studies lessons that promote a variety of left-wing causes, including defunding the police, Black Lives Matter, and the dangers of “white supremacy” and “settler colonialism.”
Biden admin’s kidney transplant policy sparks outcry over DEI favoritism: ‘Unlawful’
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump-aligned lawfare group founded by White House aide Stephen Miller is petitioning two of the government’s top federal health agencies to immediately repeal a Biden-era regulation they claim promotes organ transplantation allocation based on race, not medical need.
Initially, the proposed rule from the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had an equity performance adjustment, but that part of the rule was scrapped before it was finalized.
The Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model in question scores selected hospitals, which are required to participate, across three domains as it relates to kidney organ transplantation: achievement, efficiency and quality. Based on the scores, hospitals will either get money for their efforts, owe money back to the federal government for not meeting expectations, or neither receive nor owe anything.
Rather than an explicit score adjustment, the rule’s equity agenda was embedded more subtly through a “voluntary” health equity plan that mandatory participating hospitals are encouraged to complete. The plan pushes hospitals to identify “health disparities” and identify “equity goals to monitor and evaluate progress in reducing targeted health disparities,” which will be measured by “one or more quantitative metrics that the IOTA participant uses to measure the reductions in target health disparities arising from the health equity plan interventions.”
DOCTORS ON KEY US HEALTH TASK FORCE ACCUSED OF PRIORITIZING DEI OVER EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
“A federal rule cannot invite or normalize discrimination—not even under the guise of improving ‘equity,'” stated an America First Legal (AFL) press release accompanying the group’s petition. “Although CMS ultimately made Health Equity Plans ‘voluntary,’ the agency embedded them inside a mandatory federal model that encourages hospitals to integrate race and identity into transplant decision-making.”
The six-year mandatory payment program builds on earlier payment experiments, testing whether financial rewards and penalties can improve care and expand access for Medicare and Medicaid patients. The rule was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 4, and began operating on July 1,
Meanwhile, according to AFL, 67 of the 103 hospitals mandated to participate in the IOTA Model are “still engaging” in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The conservative lawfare group argues this is normalizing “identity-based preferences” within the nation’s organ transplant system.
RUBIO ORDERS RESTITUTION FOR HUNDREDS OF STAFFERS DENIED PROMOTIONS UNDER BIDEN DEI RULE
“The IOTA Model is a leftover remnant of an unlawful equity agenda that encouraged hospitals to view lifesaving care through a DEI lens,” said AFL attorney Megan Redshaw. “Federal law requires that organ allocation be based on established medical criteria, not race or identity, and no rule should push hospitals to pursue transplant volume while layering race-based pressures onto a system already plagued by ethical failures.”
Just days after Biden took office in 2021, he signed Executive Order 13985, directing all federal agencies to conduct “Equity Assessments” to determine whether “underserved communities and their members” faced systemic barriers to accessing federal programs. The order also required federal agencies to develop an action plan to address those barriers.
As part of this effort, in December 2021, CMS issued a request to the public for comments on how the agency could “Advance Equity and Reduce Disparities in Organ Transplantation.”
“CMS is focused on identifying potential system-wide improvements that would increase organ donations, improve transplants, enhance the quality of care in dialysis facilities, increase access to dialysis services, and advance equity in organ donation and transplantation,” the agency said at the time. “Black Americans are almost four times more likely, and Latinos are 1.3 times more likely, to have kidney failure compared to White Americans. Despite the higher risk, data shows that Black and Latino patients on dialysis are less likely to be placed on the transplant waitlist and have a lower likelihood of transplantation. Because of these stark inequities, CMS’ [Request For Information] asks the public for specific ideas on advancing equity within the organ transplantation system.”
Trump officials and allies, including AFL, have questioned the role outside groups played during the process of drafting the final IOTA Model rule, prompting AFL to file FOIA requests as part of a broader investigation into the new IOTA model and the Biden administration’s alleged push to infuse DEI into the nation’s organ transplant framework.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
One example AFL has pointed to is a “modernization initiative” for the national organ transplant system under the Biden administration, which included plans to strengthen “equity, and performance in the organ donation and transplantation system.” The Biden admin also announced changes to the “labeling of race and ethnicity information for organ donors,” on numerous data reports used by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).
The nation’s organ transplant system has also recently been targeted for prematurely initiating organ retrievals while patients were still alive, or improving. In July, HHS released a statement announcing an initiative to reform the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), following a federal investigation that found “disturbing practices by a major organ procurement organization.”
AFL argues that the IOTA Model final rule, specifically, violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the equal protection clause, precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court, and executive orders issued by President Donald Trump.
The lawfare group added that the rule also exceeds CMS’ statutory authority under the Social Security Act, and is “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act.
“The Biden Administration built this kidney transplant policy on the false premise that fairness requires discrimination,” Redshaw said. “This rule treats race as a substitute for medical judgment, and it risks condemning patients to die on waitlists based on immutable traits instead of clinical need. Every American deserves equal treatment under the law, especially when life and death are at stake.”
HHS and CMS didn’t reply to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on this story in time for publication.
College town littered with more violent imagery after previous gruesome displays
More violent imagery appeared near the University of Wisconsin-Madison late last week, mirroring similar imagery found on the public school’s campus over a span of weeks, according to two students at the school.
“The only good fascist is a dead fascist,” read one image photographed by Aiden Wirth, a student at the school and a writer at an independent student newspaper called The Madison Federalist, which first published the imagery.
Ben Rothove, the editor-in-chief of the paper, also captured some of the displays.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST
An image with the same message hanging on a bicycle road sign, which also depicted an image of a fist punching a bloodied pig, also recently appeared. Another image hanging on a bicycle road sign depicted a fist holding a smoking pistol to the head of someone in a Ku Klux Klan hood as blood squirts out of the figure’s head. The caption on that image reads, “Speak their language.”
The caption on a fourth image, which also featured a pig being punched in the face with blood coming from its nose and mouth, read: “Speak their language.”
GRAPHIC ANTI-ICE IMAGERY AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SHOWS AGENT WITH BULLET IN HEAD: ‘SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE’
“Speak their language” and “The only good fascist is a dead fascist” were scrawled on a fifth image, while a person depicted wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood has blood pouring out of the head.
A week ago, campus police confirmed for Fox News Digital that they were investigating imagery showing an ICE agent being shot in the head. That image was also accompanied by text that said, “The only good fascist is a dead fascist.”
Before that, an image of an ICE agent being shot in the head said, “Speak their language,” and below that, “You can’t vote away fascism.”
Campus police also confirmed they were investigating that image.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“UW-Madison condemns violence of all kinds,” school spokesperson John Lucas told Fox News Digital on Nov. 13, after the first incident. The school said the same after the second incident.
“As we’ve said previously, UW-Madison continues to condemn violence of all kinds,” Lucas told Fox News Digital. “If a student is in need of support of any kind, they are encouraged to reach out and meet with our Office of Student Assistance and Support. If stickers are found on campus by individuals, they can be reported to UWPD to be investigated and removed.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the city of Madison.
Ray Romano reveals emotional moment with ‘imposing’ Peter Boyle that changed him
It’s been nearly 19 years since “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Peter Boyle died but Ray Romano, his onscreen son and the lead of the beloved sitcom, still remembers the lasting impression the late actor had on him.
During Monday’s “Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion” special on CBS, stars of the show — including Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett and Monica Horan — and creator Phil Rosenthal reunited to celebrate the show’s upcoming 30th anniversary and reminisce about some of their favorite memories on screen and off-screen.
At one point during the special, the cast paid tribute to the late Doris Roberts — who portrayed Romano’s onscreen mother, Marie Barone — and Boyle, who died in 2006 after suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease. He was 71.
‘EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND’ CAST REUNITES FOR 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: THE STARS THEN AND NOW
“During the pilot episode, I’m a young guy who just got fired from news radio and here I am again attempting a show and I’m nervous,” Romano recalled.
“And Peter is the great Peter Boyle, this iconic guy. He’s an imposing figure. I didn’t know then how sweet he really was.”
“I hadn’t really had a conversation with Peter,” he continued. “Our paths were crossing [on set] and he just stops me, and I haven’t said anything to him… he could tell I was a little nervous and he just looks at me and he goes, ‘It’s just like water. Just let it flow.’ And then he leaves.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“At that time, I’m like ‘What does that mean?’ And even though as an actor I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I do now,” Romano said, while getting emotional. “Just the gesture of him reaching out to me…”
“Everybody Loves Raymond” aired on CBS from 1996 to 2005 and starred Romano as Ray Barone, a sportswriter living on Long Island across the street from his family. Heaton played his wife, Debra, along with Garrett as his brother Robert, and Boyle and Doris Roberts as his loving but overbearing parents.
‘EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND’ STAR RAY ROMANO SHARED COSTAR PETER BOYLE WAS THE REASON THE SHOW SURVIVED
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
The show earned 15 Primetime Emmys over the course of its run, including two outstanding comedy series wins and one outstanding lead actor in a comedy win for Romano.
Though it’s been nearly 30 years since “Everybody Loves Raymond” premiered, the hit has remained “timeless,” Rosenthal previously told Fox News Digital.
“Well, [“Everybody Loves Raymond”] was designed to be timeless. And we did that by not having topical jokes, jokes of the day, you know?” Rosenthal said of the show, which premiered in September 1996. “It would’ve been easy to do Bill Clinton jokes, let’s say, when we were first up. But that dates the show. So we did things that we thought might be universal. Relationships, marriage, sibling rivalry, having kids, having parents. And so it has lasted and this year coming up it will have been 30 years since we were on the air.”
Rosenthal recalled that pivotal moment when he knew the show would be a hit.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“It was like the third episode. Something happened and we got like a 30-second laugh at something from an audience that hadn’t seen the show yet,” he said. “It hadn’t been on TV yet. In the beginning, you’re just filming a bunch of shows and you’re trying to get any audience you can and they would come, and they didn’t know what they were watching. But this laugh was so big that it went beyond just a bit. It became, ‘Oh, they’re cued into the characters.’ And that’s when I knew we had something.”
Two-time major champion praises Kai Trump after making professional golf debut
Kai Trump’s LPGA debut did not go exactly as she planned.
The 18-year-old high school senior shot a first-round 83 at The ANNIKA at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, putting her in last place out of 108 players through one round. The next day, she bounced back with a five-over 75, but it wasn’t enough to make the cut.
It was invaluable experience for Trump, who will play college golf at the University of Miami next year.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Bryson DeChambeau , who shared a hug with the president’s granddaughter at the Ryder Cup, was impressed with Trump’s showing.
“She shot five-over the second round, which is really, it’s actually really impressive. We didn’t know how she was going to do, she handled herself very well, and what a great opportunity,” DeChambeau told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
“I was talking to [tournament host] Annika [Sorenstam]. She’s a part of the council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and we were just talking about how, you know, ‘What do you think about it?’ We were both talking, and this is a great opportunity. She’s like, ‘There’s plenty of others that have gotten invites that didn’t do well, but it was a great experience for them. And I think it’s going to be a great experience for her.’
MIAMI GOLF COACH PRAISES KAI TRUMP’S POISE, POTENTIAL AS SHE MAKES LPGA DEBUT
“It was awesome to see her go out there and compete doing what she loves doing, and she’s getting better,” DeChambeau added. “We’ll see what the story has for her, but she’s a grinder and a competitor, and it’s fun to see her out there competing with some of the best in the world, even though there’s a long way to go, but she is a grinder. You never know.”
After finishing her second round, Trump said she felt more “peaceful” compared to the first, which led to the improvement.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“For the first day I was definitely really nervous. I think the nerves just got to me,” she said. “When I went out there today, I felt very calm and peaceful, to be honest with you. That’s why I played better. I did everything I could possibly have done for this tournament. So, I think if you prepare right, the nerves can … they’re always going to be there, right? They can be a little softened. So, I would just say that.”
Trump officially committed to the Hurricanes earlier this month.
Transportation Sec Duffy tells American travelers to stop wearing pajamas on planes
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has a message for Americans: Stop wearing pajamas on planes.
While speaking at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Monday, Duffy said he had noticed “a degradation in civility” among air travelers — and launched what he called a “civility campaign” to encourage courtesy and patience during the crush of holiday travel.
Duffy encouraged travelers to “say please and thank you to our pilots and to our flight attendants” and to dress “with some respect.”
FLIGHT PASSENGER GETS TOO COMFORTABLE ON PLANE, SPARKING ETIQUETTE DEBATE
“You know, whether it’s a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little bit better, which encourages us to maybe behave a little better,” he said. “Let’s try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport. I think that’s positive.”
Duffy also encouraged passengers to help other passengers who are struggling to put their bags in the overhead bins “as a common courtesy and civility.”
“Bringing civility back, I think, enhances the travel experience for everybody,” Duffy previously said during an exclusive interview with FOX Business.
The initiative follows a 400% surge of in-flight disturbances since 2019, ranging from disruptive behavior to violence, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data.
Nearly one in five flight attendants reported experiencing a physical incident in 2021, while reports of unruly passengers in 2024 remained above pre-pandemic levels, according to union and FAA data, FOX Business previously reported.
PASSENGER’S REVENGE ON ‘ENTITLED’ WOMAN SPARKS HEATED DEBATE ABOUT AIRPLANE ETIQUETTE
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio, said the issue of airport attire goes beyond fashion. She said it’s about courtesy.
“From an etiquette perspective, one’s pajamas should be reserved for the privacy of one’s own home or hotel room, where people are relaxing — and not in a public space,” she told Fox News Digital.
While comfort is important, Gottsman added that it’s possible to “still select clothing that is both comfortable, practical and appropriate for public spaces.”
Some could blame the trend of pajama-clad travelers on celebrity culture. Stars have been photographed strolling through airports in loungewear, turning the terminal into an extension of their living rooms.
“When we take the time to dress with intention, we naturally carry ourselves with more confidence and self-respect.”
Ed Sheeran was photographed at Los Angeles International Airport in 2015 wearing pajama-style pants, while Rihanna has recently been spotted wearing silk sleepwear in public.
Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant and founder of the Protocol School of Palm Beach in Florida, told Fox News Digital the way people dress affects the way they act.
AIR TRAVEL’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ FEATURED STEAK DINNERS, COCKTAILS AND FORMAL ATTIRE FOR SOPHISTICATED TRAVELERS
“The way we dress influences how we feel, how we behave and even how others respond to us,” she said.
“When we take the time to dress with intention, we naturally carry ourselves with more confidence and self-respect.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Whitmore points to enclothed cognition — the psychological idea that what we wear shapes not only how people see us, but how we see ourselves.
Although attire doesn’t necessarily translate to character, Whitmore said it’s been her experience that “people who make the effort to present themselves well often demonstrate the same level of care in their behavior.”
“When we are intentional about our appearance, we’re also more likely to be intentional about our manners,” she said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
Whitmore added that pajamas and slippers “should stay in the bedroom,” but she noted that “flip-flops and shorts are better than PJs.”
“It has nothing to do with social status and everything to do with the respect we show for ourselves and others.”
Children, she concedes, get “a little more grace,” especially on overnight flights.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Both experts said dressing for travel isn’t about formality or status.
“It has nothing to do with social status and everything to do with the respect we show for ourselves and others,” Gottsman said.
Whitmore said she welcomes a return to the golden age of travel.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“Dressing well isn’t about being uncomfortable or impressing others,” she said. “It’s about expressing respect – respect for yourself, for the experience and for those around you.”