President Donald Trump delivered remarks on the American Airlines plane crash from Wednesday night that killed 67 people, placing blame on diversity initiatives and previous leaders, but refusing to answer questions about how DEI contributed to the crash that does not yet have a listed cause.
Trump gave his remarks from the White House briefing room, beginning with a moment of silence and saying what happened was a “tragedy of terrible proportions.”
However, he quickly turned from sharing his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and began placing blame for the incident. Among the reasons he said the crash happened were more inclusive hiring initiatives from the Biden and Obama administrations.
Trump said that when it comes to air traffic controllers and pilots, “Brilliant people have to be in those positions," inferring, of course, that the controller in this situation was sub-par, but not giving any reason for that.
He went on to blast the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to hire individuals with disabilities like Dwarfism and intellectual disabilities.
“A group within the FAA determined that the workforce was too white, then they had concerted efforts to get the administration to change that and to change it immediately,” Trump said. “This was in the Obama administration.”
He then went on to blast Biden’s Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, and his efforts to hire diverse workers.
“He’s a disaster now. He’s just got a good line of bullshit,” Trump said of Buttigieg. “Well, he runs it, 45,000 people, and he’s run it right into the ground with his diversity.”
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Reporters asked Trump how he was sure diversity played a role in the crash after he acknowledged earlier in his remarks that air traffic controllers may not have done anything wrong.
“Common sense,” he answered.
The crash involved American Airlines Flight 5342, which had 60 passengers and four crew members onboard, and a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that held three service members. The plane was traveling to D.C. from Wichita, Kansas, where several of the passengers were competing in the US Figure Skating Championships.
While the plane was preparing to land at Reagan National Airport, the helicopter slammed into it, creating a fireball in the sky over the Potomac River. Video of the crash has been shared on social media, showing the fireball as the two aircraft collided.
Acting Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared on Thursday that the American Airlines jet and the military helicopter were on a “standard flight pattern” when they collided.
“This was a clear night last night; the helicopter was in the standard pattern. If you live in the D.C. area, you will see helicopters up and down the river,” he said during a news conference. “This was a standard fight pattern last night as well.”
In his lengthy remarks, Trump said the military helicopter pilot should have "seen where they were going."
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