Washington — President Trump spoke in the White House press briefing room Thursday morning in the aftermath of the deadly plane crash in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., and sought to point blame for the tragedy on DEI initiatives and the Biden administration. The collision of a regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter late Wednesday was the first major commercial plane crash in the U.S. in more than a decade.
“I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation,” Mr. Trump said.
He said the “massive search and rescue operation” that began overnight was “leveraging every asset at our disposal,” and that responders have done a “phenomenal job.”
“The work has now shifted to a recovery mission,” he said. “Sadly, there are no survivors.”
“We are in mourning, this has really shaken a lot of people.”
The president pledged to support the families affected by the crash, saying “we’re all searching for answers.”
“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” Mr. Trump said. “We’ll find out how this disaster occurred and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”
The briefing comes after American Eagle Flight No. 5342, which took off from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members on board, collided Wednesday night with an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Mr. Trump said he was immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the Federal Aviation Administration, Christopher Rocheleau. Mr. Trump noted that the collision happened on a “very clear night” and that “for some reason, adjustments weren’t made.”
He criticized the Biden administration and attacked diversity initiatives, claiming that he had increased standards for those who work within aviation.
“I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first,” Mr. Trump claimed.
Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, also at the briefing, seemed to suggest that hires made based under DEI policies played a role in the crash, but acknowledged it is not clear at this point in the investigation where fault may lie. Asked directly how he came to the conclusion that diversity had something to do with the crash, Mr. Trump replied, “because I have common sense.”
The president’s comments drew harsh criticism from the top Democrat in the Senate. “It’s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracy theories, it’s another for the president of the United States to throw out idle speculation as bodies are still being recovered and families still being notified,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “It just turns your stomach.”
The president was joined at the briefing by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was sworn in Wednesday. Duffy outlined the “whole of government response” to the crash so far, committing to “get to the bottom of this investigation — not in three years, not in four years, but as quickly as possible.”
“What happened yesterday shouldn’t have happened. It should not have happened,” Duffy said. “And when Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination.”
Duffy said that the Transportation Department would not accept excuses and would take responsibility to implement reforms so that “these mistakes do not happen again.”
Hegseth also spoke at the briefing, reiterating that the administration would determine what happened.
Hegseth said the three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk were a young captain, a staff sergeant and a CW-2 chief warrant officer whom he said were on a “routine annual retraining” for a “continuity of government” mission.
“The military does dangerous things, it does routine things, on a regular basis,” Hegseth said. “Tragically last night a mistake was made.”
He acknowledged that there was “some sort of an elevation issue” that the Defense Department and Army have begun investigating.
Hegseth pledged that the department will have “the best and brightest in every position possible,” and echoed Mr. Trump in taking a swipe at diversity, declaring, “The era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department.”
Emergency crews continued their search efforts at the crash site Thursday morning. District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly said at an earlier news briefing that 27 bodies had been recovered from the plane and one from the helicopter.
The president’s news conference lasted more than 30 minutes.
Mr. Trump said in a statement Wednesday night that he had been fully briefed on the crash, and said, “Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders.”
He later took to Truth Social, questioning why the collision occurred under what appeared to be typical conditions.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented,” Mr. Trump said. “NOT GOOD!!!”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/watch-live-trump-to-speak-on-dc-plane-crash/
