Rapper Lil Pump has reportedly been banned for life from JetBlue after he violated the airline’s safety protocols by refusing to wear a mask on a flight on Sunday (Dec. 27).
According to USA Today, the 20-year-old rapper (born Gazzy Garcia) was en route from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles when he reportedly became “verbally abusive with crew members after being asked multiple times and refusing to comply with JetBlue’s face covering policy,” according to airline spokesperson Derek Dombrowski.
The “Gucci Gang” rapper — who made headlines during election season when he enthusiastically supported President Trump in the former reality star’s failed bid for a second presidential term — had his return reservation canceled and, according to Dombrowski, he is banned from flying on the carrier in the future.
“The safety of all customers and crewmembers is JetBlue’s first priority,” Dombrowski said, noting that the airline’s policy is that all passengers two years or older must wear a face covering for the duration of the flight.
TMZ also reported that a JetBlue rep said a customer became verbally abusive with staff during the flight and refused to put his mask on after taking it off mid-flight, before allegedly sneezing and coughing into a blanket.
A spokesperson for JetBlue had not returned requests for additional comment at press time.
Airlines began requiring all passengers to wear face masks on May 4 to help stem the rising tide of COVID-19 infections.
Despite the advice of experts, Trump and many of his followers have steadfastly refused to wear masks, flouting CDC recommendations about slowing the spread of the deadly virus that has infected more than 19.4 million and killed 335,000 in the U.S. to date.
Two weeks after Trump’s loss, Pump unveiled his MAGA anthem, “Lil Pimp Big MAGA Steppin’,” whose title is a winking reference to the seemingly inadvertent nickname coined by Trump when he invited “Lil Pimp” onto the stage at a Michigan campaign rally.
A spokesperson for Pump had not returned a request for comment at press time.
