President Donald Trump blasted the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, along with diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) initiatives within the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation, while speaking about the plane crash near Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
"I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary," Trump said at a press conference. "Only the highest aptitude. They have to be the highest intellect and psychological aptitude that were allowed to be qualified for air traffic controllers."
The Context
The plane, American Airlines Flight 5342, with 60 passengers and four crew on board, had a midair collision with a Black Hawk Army helicopter on Wednesday, marking the first major aviation disaster in the United States involving a commercial aircraft since 2009.
DEI has been a hot topic of the Trump administration since the Inauguration on January 20. On his first day as president, Trump issued an executive order to "terminate" the federal government's DEI programs. The initiatives are meant to promote fair treatment and full participation of all individuals, particularly those from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups. Trump's executive order to end the DEI programs has left many agencies in the lurch, figuring out how to interpret the broad orders.
The president pointing to DEI for the helicopter issues follows suit with how DEI initiatives, contracts and websites have been ordered to be removed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also announced that more executive orders are on their way, including measures to remove DEI initiatives within the Pentagon.
Donald trump plane crash press conference
President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference on January 30, 2025, about the plane crash in the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
What To Know
It was Trump's first press conference after the plane crash near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday evening. The flight had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, and was approaching landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the helicopter. The helicopter was on a training flight with a crew of three based out of Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
All 64 people were feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday.
The incident occurred shortly before 9 p.m. ET. on Wednesday, and the number of casualties is unclear as the search-and-rescue operation continues. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a "CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport."
Donald Trump Questions Helicopter Pilot After DC Plane Crash
While the investigation has not concluded, Trump said at the press conference that he has some "very strong opinions" on why the crash occurred. He blamed the incident on a lack of competency of the people flying and helicopter controllers.
"I can't imagine that people with 20/20 vision can't see what's happening out there," Trump said.
The American Airlines pilot "was doing everything right," Trump said, and "for some reason, you have a helicopter at the same height and going at an angle. It was unbelievably bad."
"It just kept going. It made a slight turn, but it was too late. It shouldn't have been at the same height because if you weren't at the same height, you could've gone under it or over it," he said.
Trump said that his standards are the "complete opposite" of what the Biden administration had in place. After calling the plane crash a "tragedy of terrible propositions," Trump also appointed a new acting FAA administrator—Chris Rocheleau, a top executive for an aviation business association.
"As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly," Trump said. "Really, we are in mourning. This has really shaken a lot of people."
"Quite frankly, I think it's absolutely irresponsible to be putting out theories of what may have happened," Peters said. "Let's get to the facts, and the facts will come out fairly quickly. We'll have to have a full investigation, which will take some time, but we've got to let that process."
The Michigan Democrat added that the National Transportation Safety Board is "a highly professional group of individuals."
"We've got to stick to the facts and not allow these conspiracy theories and other things to stoke fear or uncertainty out there," Peters said.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who served in the Biden administration, took to X, formerly Twitter, following Trump's press conference to call the president's theories "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," Buttigieg posted. "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."
Democracy Watch Canada posted on X, "Trump goes on to blame Pete Buttigieg, he's making up stories about DEI and 'too white' initiatives. He's now confirming the helicopter and plane were "at the same height." Pray for the air traffic controller if they are black or brown or happen to use a wheelchair. Insanity."
What People Are Saying
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, in a video statement: "This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones. We understand and appreciate the people are eager for information, please know that we will continue to share accurate and timely information as soon as we can, but anything we must report, must be accurate."
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, at the press conference: "We will have the best and brightest in every position possible."
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, at the press conference: "We will not accept excuses. We will not accept passing the buck."
Newsweek