Bill Clinton's haircut on Air Force One shut down LAX
| Bill Clinton's haircut on Air Force One shut down LAX | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "In May 1993 President Clinton kept Air Force One on the runway at Los Angeles International Airport for an hour for a $200 haircut, closing runways and delaying passenger flights." | |
| Domain | News Media & Journalism |
| Tactic | False Context Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | May 1993 |
| Origin | News reports in May 1993, based on anonymous accounts, which became a symbol of Clinton's supposed elitism |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on News Media & Journalism | |
On May 18, 1993, Beverly Hills stylist Cristophe cut Bill Clinton's hair aboard Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport. News reports said the haircut shut down runways and stranded travelers. Federal Aviation Administration records obtained later under the Freedom of Information Act showed no significant delays to scheduled flights.
The claim
The story said two runways were closed and commercial flights circled or waited while the president had his hair styled. It was told for years as a symbol of a president out of touch.
What the evidence shows
- The haircut happened. Clinton did get a haircut on the plane, from a high-priced stylist.
- The delays did not. FAA records reported by Newsday showed no commercial flights were significantly delayed by the plane's stop. Runway closures during presidential movements are routine and brief.
- Never fully corrected. The original reports spread far more widely than the correction, and the story is still told as fact.
Why it persists
It is a vivid, simple story that fit a political narrative. A correction based on flight logs is far less memorable.
Lessons for readers
- A true detail (the haircut) can carry a false one (the shutdown).
- Check whether the dramatic consequence in a story is documented, not just its premise.
Sources
- Newsday, report on FAA records of the Air Force One stop at LAX, June 1993.
- Salon, retrospective on the 1993 haircut story, August 2004.