President Trump, in his first press conference since the tragic midair collision over the Potomac River, suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs could be a contributing factor. While an investigation is still underway, Trump criticized the FAA's DEI initiatives under the Obama and Biden administrations, claiming they lowered standards for air traffic controllers. He stopped short of directly blaming the programs for the crash but stated, 'It just could have been.'
In his first news conference since the aircraft collision over the Potomac River, President Donald Trump on Thursday implied that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be the cause, although an investigation has only just begun into the fatal disaster. “We have to have our smartest people” as air traffic controllers, Trump said Thursday morning. “It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. ... They have to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was recently sworn in, said the accident occurred during a “routine, annual retraining, night flights on a standard corridor, for a continuity of government mission. The military does dangerous things. It does routine things on the regular basis. Tragically, last night, a mistake was made.” In his second day in office, Trump issued an executive order to wipe out DEI programs throughout the federal government, including at the FAA.
DEI PROGRAMS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL DONALD TRUMP FATAL CRASH FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
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