President Trump Delivers Remarks About Deadly DC Plane Collision
President Donald J. Trump addresses his remarks during the coronavirus update briefing Wednesday, April 8, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)
Trump criticized DEI hires for the cause of the crash that killed 67 passengers and crew members last night near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Article by Ryan Hartnett, Senior White House Producer
WASHINGTON - This morning, President Trump addressed the nation from the briefing room about last night’s tragic midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk military helicopter.
Trump opened his remarks by holding a moment of silence for the victims of the tragedy and their families.
“I speak to you now in an hour of anguish for our nation,” Trump said. “The work has now shifted to a recovery mission. Sadly, there are no survivors.”
While praising the efforts of rescue teams and the United States military, Trump also expressed his thoughts and prayers for the victims involved.
“As one nation we grieve for every precious soul that had been taken from us so suddenly,” said Trump.
Trump would later go on to assert his opinion on the crash during the briefing even though the cause of the crash has yet to be fully investigated.
“The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring spelled out on the agency’s website,” said Trump despite there being no evidence that the FAA or air traffic controllers were responsible for the crash.
Trump also criticized the efforts of two of his predecessors, former President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, for the result of the crash.
“I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary,” said Trump, comparing his aviation safety standards with past democratic administrations.
“When I left office and Biden took over, he [Biden] changed them back to lower than ever before. I put safety first but Obama and Biden put policy first.”
Trump criticized former Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, for the diversity and inclusion efforts that he championed when he oversaw the transportation department.
“That guy’s a real winner,” Trump sarcastically said before using profanity and adding that, “He [Buttigieg] is a disaster.”
In response to Trump’s verbal attack, Buttigieg released a statement on X shortly after the briefing:
Vice President J.D. Vance, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also took to the podium to echo Trump’s criticisms of DEI initiatives.
“The era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department, and we need the best and the brightest,” said Hegseth, “Whether it’s in our air traffic control, whether it is in our generals, or whether it’s throughout our government.”
“We want to make sure we have enough people at air traffic control who are actually competent to do the job,” said Vance.
“We are going to take responsibility at the Department of Transportation and the FAA to make sure we have the reforms that have been dictated by President Trump in place to make sure that these mistakes do not happen again,” said Duffy.
When Trump was asked by a reporter on how he is able to make these claims despite the lack of evidence, Trump responded saying, “Because I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don’t.”
At this time, the cause of the crash has yet to be determined and an investigation is currently being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board.
This is a developing breaking news story. Additional updates will be posted as more information is released. American Airlines has asked, “If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”