US President Donald Trump blamed former President Joe Biden and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring policies for the American Airlines crash near Washington DC’s Reagan Airport the night before. Speaking from the White House, the president suggested that DEI could have been a factor in the collision. The passenger plane, traveling from Kansas, collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter before both aircrafts crashed into the Potomac River. All 60 passengers and four crew members on board are feared to have died.
“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” Trump said at a press conference on Thursday, following the fatal crash between an American Airlines passenger plane and a Army helicopter near Washington DC’s Reagan Airport the previous night.
Trump then suggested that lower hiring standards for air traffic controllers during the presidencies of Joe Biden and Barack Obama might have contributed to the crash.
A BBC report said that Trump and many Republicans have consistently criticised “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs in the federal government. His team has made ending these programs a priority, arguing that they have divided the country and weakened it.
Less than a day after the deadly crash, Trump, along with his transportation and defense secretaries and his vice president, repeated these attacks. However, they offered no proof linking federal hiring practices to the crash.
According to the BBC report when a reporter asked how he thinks diversity programmes are to be blamed for the crash, the president retorted, “because I have common sense.”
At times, Trump admitted that the cause of the crash was still unknown, stating that “it’s all under investigation.”
Trump blames diversity, inclusion hiring policies
Trump then mentioned that the FAA’s diversity and inclusion hiring policies gave preference to people with various disabilities, such as hearing or vision impairments, missing limbs, partial or complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and dwarfism.
An archived version of the FAA’s diversity hiring page, which was reportedly removed in December, listed similar criteria. The FAA was actively seeking applicants with “targeted disabilities,” a group the federal government had prioritised for recruitment at the time. However, it’s unclear how these diversity efforts affected the pool of air traffic controllers, a role Trump argued should be filled by “naturally talented geniuses.” The FAA employs more than 35,000 people, but only a small fraction work as air traffic controllers.
In response to last year’s criticism of its diversity hiring practices, the FAA emphasized that all new hires must meet “rigorous qualifications” specific to their positions.
The agency has faced ongoing criticism over a shortage of air traffic controllers, worsened by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports suggest that staffing levels at Reagan Airport on the night of the crash may have been insufficient.
Trump blames Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Trump specifically blamed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, saying that he ran the department “into the ground”. Buttigieg responded on social media, calling Trump’s remarks “despicable.” He further added that Trump should be leading at this time of tragedy and not lying about it.
Despite his initial remarks, Trump seemed most interested in offering speculation, straying from his prepared speech. He discussed the flight paths, weather conditions, temperature of the Potomac River, and the behavior of the Army helicopter, noting that the helicopter had the ability to stop, but for some reason, it just kept going.
The following evening, the White House doubled down on Trump’s criticisms of the Biden administration and DEI policies. The president signed a memorandum to end diversity initiatives in the aviation sector and ordered a review of all hiring and safety changes made under Biden. He also signed an executive order to appoint a new head of the FAA.