Donald Trump makes controversial joke after Washington DC air crash
US President Donald Trump has made a controversial joke following the deadly air crash in DC.
World
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Donald Trump has said “diversity” might have had a role to play in the deadly Washington DC collision between a passenger plane and military helicopter which has killed 67.
When asked to clarify if he was really blaming the crash on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the US President said it “could have been,” but provided no evidence.
There is as yet no information to suggest diversity programs or so-called “diversity hires” were in any way to blame for the horror crash.
President Trump himself said the cause is as yet “unknown” with most theories centring on the crew of the helicopter failing to see the oncoming plane.
A former Biden official has called the President’s comments “despicable” and claimed the new Trump administration’s fired senior staff who “help keep our skies safe”.
He was asked if he had any plans to go visit the site, as rescue workers scour the Potomac River for bodies and collect debris at the start of a lengthy investigation about the crash.
“I have a plan to visit – not the site. Because what – you tell me. What’s the site? Water. We’re going to go swimming?” he joked.
Disaster unfolded on Wednesday, local time, when American eagle flight AA5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was coming in to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at about 9pm (1pm Thursday AEDT).
Seconds before touchdown, the Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet with 64 passengers and crew on-board made contact with a US Army Black Hawk (H-60) helicopter.
Both plummeted into the icy waters of the Potomac River. No survivors have been found.
On Thursday morning, Mr Trump held a briefing at the White House on the incident.
He began by saying it was an “hour of anguish,” for the US.
“It’s in moments like this that the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds that bind us all.
“We are one family and today we are all heartbroken”.
DEI singled out
He then went on an anti-DEI tirade, hitting out at diversity programs in the US and claiming people with mental disabilities were being hired for key aviation safety roles.
Mr Trump has made curtailing DEI in the federal government a key policy and has signed several executive orders to that effect since he assumed the presidency.
Critics of DEI claim it places race, gender or disability, for instance, above merit for jobs. While DEI proponents have said it encourages unrepresented groups to apply for roles and recognises discrimination exists.
At the press briefing, Mr Trump claimed former presidents Obama and Biden had lowered standards for air traffic controllers in order to get more diverse staff.
“I put safety first; Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody’s ever seen, because this was the lowest level.
“You have to be talented, naturally talented — geniuses — you can’t have regular people doing that, won’t be able to do it, but I will restore faith in American air travel.”
He claimed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had a “diversity push” that “included focusing on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities” including for air traffic control roles.
“That’s amazing,” he added.
Responding last year, the FAA said it hired people for a “wide range of roles” and anyone employed had to meet, “rigorous qualifications that of course will vary by position”.
Trump: ‘Could have been’ DEI
When Mr Trump was challenged by reporters as to why he was focusing on diversity, when there was no information to suggest that was the cause of the crash, he replied: “It could have been, we don’t know, but it shouldn’t have happened”.
Another reporter asked how Mr Trump had come to the conclusion “diversity was to blame”.
“Because I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don’t”.
The American Association of People with Disabilities slammed Mr Trump.
“FAA employees with disabilities did not cause last night’s tragic plane crash,” it said in a statement.
“The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is extremely inappropriate for the President to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.”
Vice President JD Vance, who joined Mr Trump at the briefing, said if you “don’t have the best standards … you’re not getting the best people”.
“Over the past 10 years, you have many hundreds of people suing the government because they would like to be air traffic controllers, but they were turned away because of the colour of their skin.
“That policy ends on Donald Trump’s leadership, because safety is the first priority of our aviation industry.”
Mr Vance was referencing long-running allegations that, since 2013, the FAA had lowered standards and rejected qualified applicants as part of various diversity initiatives.
In 2015, Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of more than rejected 3000 applicants who alleged they were racially discriminated against.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic airline crash in the Potomac River yesterday evening, and our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this incredibly difficult time,” MSLF general counsel William Trachman said in a statement on Thursday.
“While we mourn this loss, it also serves as a stark reminder of the vital importance of competency and merit in all safety-critical professions. The safety of the American public must always be the foremost priority, and only the most capable individuals should be entrusted with such a critical role.”
‘Despicable’: Trump slammed
Talking to US broadcaster NBC, pilot and aviation analyst John Cox said there was “no foundation” for Mr Trump’s accusations.
“There are standards for everyone in aviation, notably in a safety critical position, be it pilots, be it flight attendants, be it dispatchers, be it air traffic controllers,” he said.
At the briefing, Mr Trump then pointedly criticised the former transportation secretary Pete Buttigeig.
He sarcastically called him a “real winner” with a “good line of bulls***”.
“He’s run (the transportation department) right into the ground with his diversity.”
Hitting back on social media, Mr Buttigeig said Mr Trump was “despicable”.
“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”.
US aviation regulator was without a leader
The previous FAA head Michael Whittaker wasn’t fired, but he did resign as Mr Trump was sworn in.
Elon Musk, who runs the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had called for Mr Whittaker to go. That followed run ins betwenen the FFA and Mr Musk’s SpaceX company.
During his year-long tenure, Mr Whittaker had focused on the issue of the short fall in air traffic controllers.
His resignation meant that at the time of the crash there was no chief at the FAA.
Mr Trump has announced Chris Rocheleau as a deputy administrator of the FAA until a permanent replacement is sworn in.
After spending a large amount of his press conference suggesting the US’ skies were being looked after by people who had only got the job due to “diversity,” which compromised safety, Mr Trump then said it was perfectly safe to fly.
“Should people be hesitant to fly right now?” Trump is asked.
“No, not at all.”
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