Amtrak CEO Resigns After Facing Pressure From Trump Admin

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner has announced he will resign after facing pressure from the Trump administration.

In a statement, Gardner shared, “I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration.”

He added, “I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support.”

Gardner stepped down after Elon Musk called for Amtrak to be privatized.

Musk stated, “I think we should privatize the Post Office and Amtrak for example. … We should privatize everything we possibly can.”

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner announced that he is leaving his job Wednesday as the Trump administration threatens to pull back on funding https://t.co/IM2ZsAS21t via @citylab

— Bloomberg (@business) March 19, 2025

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner today: "I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration." https://t.co/z6ppjqCYZd pic.twitter.com/0vfrfY59or

— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) March 19, 2025

Check out what The Hill reported:

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Wednesday he would resign from his post in an effort to resolve concerns from the Trump administration.

“I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration,” Gardner said, reflecting on his start with the company as an intern.

“I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support. We did a lot together to make Amtrak safer, more modern, and a better travel experience for all our customers.”

His decision to relinquish control over the national passenger railroad service of the United States comes as Elon Musk has suggested privatizing the service.

“I think logically we should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized,” Musk said while speaking at the Morgan Stanley conference on March 5, according to Newsweek. “I think we should privatize the Post Office and Amtrak for example. … We should privatize everything we possibly can.”

Amtrak responded with a five-page document titled “Proposals to Privatize Amtrak.”

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BREAKING NEWS: Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner announced he was stepping down three years after taking the top position at the passenger railroad https://t.co/ukVZKi1agn

— Railfan & Railroad Magazine (@railfanmag) March 19, 2025

Per Fox Business:

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, also known as Amtrak, on Wednesday announced a major leadership change before expressing a desire to work with President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

In a statement, Amtrak said CEO Stephen Gardner was stepping down “to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration.”

“I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support,” Gardner’s statement continued. “We did a lot together to make Amtrak safer, more modern and a better travel experience for all our customers.”

“From my start as an Amtrak intern back in the 1990s to ending as CEO, it has been my honor and privilege to lead this great American company, and I wish Amtrak every success,” he added. “See you on the rails.”