In a shocking and divisive response to a national tragedy, President Donald Trump wasted no time blaming Democrats and diversity policies for the catastrophic midair collision over the Potomac River that claimed 67 lives. As the nation reeled from the devastating incident, Trump stood before the White House press corps and launched into a familiar narrative, pointing fingers at his political rivals before investigators could even determine the cause of the crash.
“This is common sense, OK?” Trump asserted when questioned about his claims against the Biden and Obama administrations. “Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t have it.”
It marked the first time since his return to the presidency that Trump addressed the nation from the White House briefing room, calling it “an hour of anguish for our nation.” However, instead of focusing solely on the tragedy, he quickly shifted gears, reviving his long-standing attacks on diversity-driven hiring practices, which he suggested led to subpar aviation standards.
Trump’s remarks, echoed by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, placed the blame squarely on past Democratic leadership, insinuating that air traffic control standards had been compromised under the previous administration.
“We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” Trump declared. “I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary. Only the highest intellect, the most psychologically superior individuals, should qualify for air traffic controllers.”
In a fiery rebuke, Trump also took aim at former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the only openly gay member of Biden’s cabinet, sarcastically calling him “a real winner.”
“Do you know how badly everything’s run since he took over the Department of Transportation?” Trump scoffed. “He’s a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor, and he’s an even bigger disaster now.”
As Trump spoke, television broadcasts juxtaposed his comments with heartbreaking footage of emergency responders pulling wreckage from the Potomac. The moment underscored the gravity of the tragedy, yet Trump remained steadfast in his aggressive rhetoric. Not long after, Buttigieg fired back on social media.
“President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA,” Buttigieg wrote. “One of his first acts was to fire and suspend key personnel responsible for keeping our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and outline real solutions to prevent such disasters in the future.”
Trump’s handling of the crisis reflects his emboldened approach since reclaiming the Oval Office. In just 11 days, he has signed a flurry of executive actions, exuding a confidence that contrasts with the chaos of his first term. Yet Thursday’s briefing made it clear: his signature brashness remains unchanged.
Amid reporters’ questions, Trump doubled down, suggesting the midair collision was due to “very late” warnings from air traffic controllers and questioning the decisions made by the Army Black Hawk helicopter pilots involved.
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“They should have seen where they were going,” he said. “The analysis was based on vision. There were people who saw what was happening, but the warnings were given very, very late.”
Despite his accusations, no official investigation has pointed to air traffic controllers as the cause of the disaster. It remains unclear which administration hired those involved in the incident. However, Trump insisted that changes made during his first term ensured only the most intelligent individuals were allowed in these critical roles—until Biden supposedly reversed them.
“When I arrived in 2016, I made that change very early on,” Trump said. “I always felt this job required superior intelligence, and we had that. Then Biden took over and lowered the standards to worse than ever before.”
As federal investigators begin their probe into one of the deadliest aviation disasters in modern U.S. history, their work will unfold under the shadow of a president who is already crafting his own narrative. Instead of embracing accountability, Trump’s first instinct was to assign blame—a stark contrast to the famous words that once adorned President Harry Truman’s desk: ‘The buck stops here.’
