President Trump sparked controversy by linking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies to a deadly midair collision involving an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter. He faced criticism from lawmakers and the public for his remarks, which some called racist and sexist.
President Donald Trump faced criticism for his remarks linking diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) policies to a fatal midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter. The crash, which occurred on Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, resulted in the deaths of all 64 passengers on the airplane and three soldiers on the helicopter.
While Trump initially expressed condolences to the victims' families, he quickly shifted to blame previous administrations, particularly the Obama administration, for aviation safety standards. He claimed that policies promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion 'could have been' a contributing factor to the collision, sparking outrage from lawmakers and critics. \'As bodies are still being pulled from the Potomac, Donald Trump and his grossly incompetent administration are blaming this deadly crash on minorities and white women,' Rep. Ilhan Omar wrote on Bluesky. 'This is disgusting, racist and sexist. Their reckless actions have consequences and they should be held accountable,' she added. Trump also attacked Pete Buttigieg, Biden's Transportation secretary, calling him a 'disaster' who has 'just got a good line of bulls---'. Buttigieg responded on X, stating, 'As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch. President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again.' \During a White House news conference, Trump emphasized the importance of hiring based on 'merit' rather than diversity. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed Trump's sentiments, praising his handling of the situation and advocating for merit-based hiring. Trump also pointed to language from the FAA's website about prioritizing hiring individuals with 'targeted disabilities', including partial paralysis, severe intellectual disability, and psychiatric disability. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash, collaborating with the FAA, American Airlines, and other relevant parties. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom assured employees that the NTSB 'leads the investigation of aviation accidents. The NTSB will be the sole source of truth going forward, and accuracy is of the utmost importance.'
DONALD TRUMP JOE BIDEN DEI AVIATION FATAL CRASH NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD FAA PENTAGON POLITICAL CRITICISM
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