Understanding the Trump Administration’s Approach to Advanced Air Mobility

How federal acceleration intersects with Michigan’s groundwork — and what it means for airports, states, and industry partners.

Photo Credit: Donghun Shin, for Unsplash

AAM Back at Center Stage

Advanced Air Mobility re-emerged as a high federal priority in 2025. After several years of incremental progress, the Trump Administration placed AAM — including drones, eVTOL aircraft, and next-gen logistics capabilities — at the forefront of national aviation policy. A set of June Executive Orders and a new FAA eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) signal an aggressive push toward deployment, industrial competitiveness, and regulatory modernization.

These efforts arrive at a moment when states like Michigan — under Governor Gretchen Whitmer — have already spent years building foundational readiness: coordinating partners, advancing planning, and fostering early industry engagement. Together, federal acceleration and state-level groundwork create a complex but promising picture of where AAM is heading.

2025 Executive Orders: A Federal Pivot Toward Acceleration

On June 6, 2025, the Administration issued a slate of Executive Orders designed to rapidly reposition the United States as a global leader in UAS and AAM technologies. The most consequential directives include:

“Unleashing American Drone Dominance”

This order directs the FAA to:

• Publish a comprehensive national roadmap for UAS and eVTOL integration

• Maximize the use of FAA test ranges

• Launch a new eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP)

• Reduce regulatory friction and modernize approval pathways

• Strengthen domestic production and export competitiveness

“Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty”

This EO reinforces national security and domestic manufacturing priorities while enabling faster approvals for emerging aviation concepts central to U.S. technological leadership.

FAA Moves Into Implementation: The eVTOL Integration Pilot Program

On September 12, 2025, Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy announced the eIPP, a nationwide pilot program designed to move AAM from planning into real-world operations. The program will identify at least five multi-jurisdictional test environments and will include:

• Passenger eVTOL routes

• Cargo and logistics operations

• Emergency medical and disaster-response flights

• Community-based demonstrations across multiple use cases

Unlike earlier federal UAS programs — which were largely exploratory — the eIPP is explicitly intended to test deployment-ready operations, with regulatory decisions informed by real-world performance and safety data.

Historical Roots: Connecting 2025 Back to 2017–2021

During Trump’s first term, emerging aviation technologies benefited from a generally deregulative environment, early UAS integration initiatives, and strong industrial-competitiveness messaging. While the federal government did not yet have the structure or coordination to push AAM forward at scale, themes such as deregulation, supply-chain protection, and technology primacy were already emerging.

The 2025 agenda builds on those earlier signals — but arrives in a world where the AAM ecosystem is far more mature, significantly more capitalized, and actively competing for global leadership.

How Trump’s AAM Strategy Intersects With Michigan’s Whitmer-Era Work

The Whitmer Administration and the Trump Administration approach AAM from very different angles, using very different tools — yet their paths intersect more than they diverge. Understanding this interplay is essential for airports, state partners, and industry leaders preparing for the next phase of deployment.

A Narrative Look at Alignment and Contrast

In Michigan, the Whitmer Administration’s AAM strategy has been defined by ecosystem-building. Rather than pushing for immediate deployment, Whitmer focused on coordination, planning, and statewide readiness. The state invested heavily in knowledge-building — supporting early partnerships, mapping regional capabilities, and working closely with airports and agencies to understand infrastructure, workforce, and power-system needs long before operations arrive.

The Trump Administration’s 2025 approach moves in the opposite direction. Rather than preparing the ecosystem, it seeks to activate it. Federal actions prioritize speed, competitiveness, economic signaling, and regulatory pressure on agencies. The message: AAM should move from concept to operation — now — with the federal government acting as the accelerator.

Yet these approaches reinforce each other:

• Whitmer built the connective tissue across agencies and airports.

• Trump is now sending demand signals that make those assets valuable.

• Whitmer’s planning-first approach laid the groundwork; Trump’s deployment-first strategy creates momentum.

  
  

Where Their Approaches Diverge

• Pace: Whitmer moved deliberately; Trump is moving aggressively.

• Tools: Whitmer used grants, planning, and partnerships; Trump uses Executive Orders and federal programs.

• Risk tolerance: Whitmer emphasized community buy-in and safety culture; Trump emphasizes industrial competitiveness and operational speed.

• Framing: Whitmer’s strategy is economic-development and community-centered; Trump’s is industrial, regulatory, and security-driven.

Where Their Approaches Align

• Both elevate AAM as a strategic priority.

• Both rely heavily on public-private partnerships.

• Both view airports as anchors in the AAM network.

• Both see demonstration projects as key to learning and adoption.

• Both create pathways for states and airports to engage early — and competitively.

What This Means for Airports, States, and Industry Stakeholders

• Airports with readiness planning (including those included in the AAM Readiness Index) are well-positioned for federal partnership.

• State agencies with prior coordination (MDOT-AERO, OFME, MEDC) have a head start in responding to national calls for pilot sites.

• Companies operating in Michigan benefit from a landscape that already understands siting, charging needs, infrastructure barriers, and community expectations.

• Local governments that engaged early are better prepared to manage operational integration as federal initiatives scale.

• Whitmer created the blueprint; Trump is now inviting the builders.

Conclusion: Two Paths, One Direction

The Trump Administration’s 2025 Executive Orders and the FAA’s new eVTOL Integration Pilot Program represent a decisive shift toward accelerated, deployment-focused AAM policy. When viewed alongside the Whitmer Administration’s earlier ecosystem-building efforts, a broader story emerges:

• The ecosystem is ready.

• The federal government is accelerating.

• And the states that invested early are positioned to lead.

For Michigan — and for partners working across airports, agencies, and industry — this moment represents an opportunity to step confidently into the next phase of AAM evolution.