Washington Plane Crash: US President Donald Trump Blames DEI Policies For The Tragedy – wna24

In a somber news briefing from the White House Briefing Room on Thursday, President Donald Trump confirmed that there were no survivors from the tragic mid-air collision that occurred the previous day between a military helicopter and a passenger plane over the Potomac River.

Starting the briefing, President Trump requested a moment of silence for the victims and their families, visibly bowing his head in respect. “I’d like to request a moment of silence for the victims and their families,” he stated, marking the gravity of the situation.

“Sadly, there are no survivors,” Trump announced, speaking to the American people during what he described as an “hour of anguish.” He detailed that the focus of operations had shifted from rescue to recovery. “The work has now shifted to a recovery mission,” he reiterated, emphasizing the shift in response strategy.

“This is really shaking a lot of people, including people very sadly, from other nations, who are on the flight for the family members back in Wichita, Kansas, here in Washington, DC, and throughout the United States and in Russia, we have a Russia contingent, some very talented people. Unfortunately, were on that plane,” Trump said. 

“We are one family, and today we are all heartbroken. We’re all searching for answers that icy, icy Potomac, or is it cold, cold night, cold water. We’re all overcome with the grief for many who have so tragically perished will no longer be with us together. We take solace in the knowledge that their journey ended not in the cold waters of the Potomac, but in the warm embrace of a loving God,” he added. 

The President also touched on the potential causes of the incident. “We did not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we’ll probably state those opinions now, because over the years, I’ve watched as things like this happen,” Trump said. He added, “We think we have some pretty good ideas, but we’ll find out how this disaster occurred, and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

President Trump attempted to blame Democrats for the plane crash. 

“We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system. I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary. You remember that. Only the highest aptitude. They have to be the highest intellect and psychologically superior people were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers. That was not so prior to getting there. When I arrived in 2016, I made that change very early on, because I always felt this was a job that, and other jobs too, but this was a job that had to be superior intelligence, and we didn’t really have that. And we had it. And then when I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. Their policy was horrible,” said Trump.   

The crux of what Trump was attempting to say, was that, when the government doesn’t encourage meritocracy, mediocre people get to the positions where they mustn’t. The result? They can’t do their job. 

However, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has cautioned against jumping to conclusions. In a letter to its members posted online, the head of NATCA stated it is “premature to speculate on root cause,” underlining the complexity of air traffic incidents and the need for a thorough investigation.

President Trump, called upon Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to address the press. “No excuses. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. The military does dangerous things. It does routine things on a regular basis. Tragically, last night, a mistake was made. There was some … sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating at the DOD and Army level,” Hegseth said. 

The collision near Reagan National Airport has shocked the US, with Wednesday being described by Trump as “a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history.”

As the investigation unfolds, President Trump’s administration has promised transparency and action to prevent future tragedies of this nature.