Trump Kept Out of Sight as F.A.A. Issued Flight Ground Stop

With flights grounded for nearly five hours Friday evening, Americans heard from the homeland security secretary. They heard from the transportation secretary. They did not hear from President Trump.

At least not about the nationwide ground stop, the first major crisis the federal government has faced since the midterm elections. The halt grounded or delayed some 10,000 flights from coast to coast and confirmed what experts have been warning for years: that the nation’s flight safety system is perilously fragile.

Instead, the president, who remained behind the scenes at the White House, posted messages to social media that night on other topics.

“MAKE OUR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote on Truth Social, in the middle of the crisis, calling for tax incentives to lure movie production back to the United States.

The absence of Mr. Trump, who has made few public appearances since Democrats swept the midterms, seemed notable enough that Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, sought to assure the nation in the heat of the crisis on Friday night that the president was fully engaged, if not in his more common spot in front of the cameras.

“This is what President Trump does,” Mr. Mullin said in a news conference. “He puts leaders in place, and he allows them to lead. They even ask, you know, why is the president not talking? It’s because he’s allowed Secretary Duffy and us to go out there and explain to you what took place.” He was referring to Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, who appeared beside Mr. Mullin on Friday night.

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