By Katherine Tinsley
10:06am PST, Jan 31, 2025
Donald Trump recently used the plane crash at a Washington, D.C., airport to continue to attack Joe Biden and Barack Obama's past diversity initiatives.
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While talking to journalists on Thursday, January 30, Trump shocked the newsroom with his theories.
"It just could have been. We have a high standard," Trump said, after a reporter asked if he was crediting DEI programs for the tragedy.
"We've had a much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things where you have to go by brainpower," Trump continued. "You have to go by psychological quality, and psychological quality is a very important element of it. These are various, very powerful tests that we put to use. And they were terminated by Biden."
It hasn't been confirmed what caused the accident, but Trump attempted to blame the rise in minorities entering the industry for the catastrophe.
"Biden went by a standard that seeks the exact opposite," the real estate tycoon stated. "So we don't know. But we do know that you had two planes at the same level."
"You had a helicopter and a plane. That shouldn't have happened," the president later stated. "And, we'll see. We're going to look into that, and we're going to see. But certainly, for an air traffic controller, we want the brightest, the smartest, the sharpest. We want somebody that's psychologically superior. And that's what we're going to have."
CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins questioned Trump's thought process.
"Don't you think you're getting ahead of the investigation right now?" Collins asked after hearing his rationale.
"You think that's going to make a difference?" Trump replied, as Collins asked if the politician knew the names of the victims.
"Don't you think you're getting ahead of the investigation right now?" Collins asked after hearing his rationale.
"You think that's going to make a difference?" Trump replied, as Collins asked if the politician knew the names of the victims.
Trump attempted to change the subject, but Collins wasn't afraid to push back on the president's claims.
"Does it comfort their families to hear you blaming DEI policies?" the CNN anchor asked.
"That's not a very smart question," Trump fired back. "I'm surprised, coming from you."
"Does it comfort their families to hear you blaming DEI policies?" the CNN anchor asked.
"That's not a very smart question," Trump fired back. "I'm surprised, coming from you."
Trump also threw jabs at Biden's Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg.
Trump accused the former South Bend, Ind., mayor of leading the department, which oversees the FAA, with "a good line of bulls—."
Trump accused the former South Bend, Ind., mayor of leading the department, which oversees the FAA, with "a good line of bulls—."
Buttigieg took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to respond to Trump's comments.
"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," Buttigieg penned.
"One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe," he explained. "Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again."
"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," Buttigieg penned.
"One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe," he explained. "Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again."