A devastating collision between a passenger plane and an army helicopter near a Washington airport resulted in the tragic loss of all 67 individuals on board. The incident unfolded just 14 hours before President Trump addressed the nation in a press briefing held in the same room. When questioned about the collision, Trump attributed the disaster to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He criticized these policies as having lowered standards for air traffic controllers during the Obama administration.
Trump asserted that under President Obama, the FAA was deemed "too white," and he accused former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg of mismanagement, claiming he "ran it right into the ground with his diversity." As a countermeasure, Trump signed an executive order reinstating his standards for air traffic controllers, which he claimed were superior to those of his predecessors.
"We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level." – Donald Trump
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy applauded Trump's decisive action, describing his leadership as "remarkable" and emphasizing the importance of hiring the best and brightest for positions involving public safety. Vice-President JD Vance echoed this sentiment, expressing gratitude for Trump's leadership and advocating for a "hire-the-best-people" approach to government appointments.
"Because I have common sense, OK, and unfortunately, a lot of people don’t." – Donald Trump
Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to dismantle DEI initiatives within the defense department, pledging to recruit only the most talented individuals. He declared that "the era of DEI is gone at the defense department and we need the best and brightest."
Trump's administration has consistently targeted DEI policies across various government sectors, marking a central theme in his first 10 days in office. This follows a pattern of controversial comments made by Trump during his political career. Notably, he previously suggested that bleach could serve as a remedy for Covid-19 and hastily blamed illegal immigration for a terrorist attack in New Orleans, despite the attacker being an American citizen born in Texas.
"It matters intellect, talent – the word talent, you have to be talented, naturally talented genius. You can’t have regular people doing that job" – Donald Trump
Criticism of Trump's statements regarding the aviation disaster quickly emerged. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg condemned Trump's remarks as "despicable." Many observers found Trump's response to the tragedy insensitive and lacking in empathy, urging him to take responsibility and guide the nation through this challenging time.
"We are one family and today we are all heartbroken" – Donald Trump
The collision marks the second major disaster during Trump's presidency, following the Challenger space shuttle disaster. His tendency to attribute blame to predecessors was evident once again as he criticized Obama's policies on air traffic controllers.
"He’s run it right into the ground with his diversity" – Donald Trump