Trump Admin Phasing Out Most Hated Airport Screening Policy

The Trump administration is moving to end the requirement that passengers remove their shoes when going through airport security, according to multiple reports.

The much-hated shoe removal mandate, which has been in place since 2006, is being gradually phased out in the coming weeks, according to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who have told multiple news outlets. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the news on Tuesday morning. 

The phase-out began at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, CBS News reported. 

On Tuesday morning, Leavitt posted, “Big news from [the Department of Homeland Security]!” in response to an X news post on the policy change. 

Big news from @DHSgov! ✈️???? https://t.co/GJjd2UQMki

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) July 8, 2025

“TSA and DHS are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture,” a TSA spokesman told the New York Times on Monday. “Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.”

The news was first reported by Gate Access on July 4, which stated that the TSA had begun circulating the updated shoe guidance. Before the change, visitors enrolled in the TSA PreCheck program were permitted to keep their shoes, belts, and jackets on and were not required to remove laptops or liquids from their bags. 

Some conservative commentators praised the move from the Trump administration.

“Rejoice, you no longer have to take your shoes off to go through TSA airport security. Always a moronic rule that didn’t seem likely to make any of us safer. But this removal is likely to make airport security lines run way smoother,”  Outkick founder Clay Travis said.

In December 2001, a month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, airline passenger Richard Reid attempted to ignite explosive devices hidden in his shoes while on a flight from Paris to Miami. Still considered a threat years later, the shoe removal policy was first instituted in 2006 as a way to screen airline passengers for explosives.

Reid, known as the shoe bomber, had homemade bombs containing 10 ounces of explosive materials hidden in his shoes that the FBI said would have blown a hole in the plane’s fuselage if detonated successfully. After pleading guilty to eight terrorism-related charges, Reid was sentenced to life in prison.