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January 30, 2025 01:09 PM UTC

Trump Blames "Diversity" For Worst Plane Crash In Years

  • 11 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

As the Washington Post’s Isaac Arnsdorf reports from the nation’s capitol today, where last night an American Airlines plane carrying sixty people crashed on approach to National Airport after apparently colliding with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River, resulting in the biggest loss of life due to an aviation incident in many years–and where President Donald Trump the very next morning seized the opportunity to blame the tragedy on…

Do we even need to say it?

First responders were still recovering bodies from the Potomac River Thursday when President Trump told the nation that his predecessors, Democrats and diversity were to blame for Wednesday night’s fatal collision of an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Within five minutes after asking for a moment of silence for the victims, Trump pivoted to his political agenda, notably his hard-charging plan to reduce the federal bureaucracy and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs from all agencies. The president told reporters he had seen no evidence to attribute the crash to changes in hiring standards for air traffic controllers…

“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas,” he said. “And I think we’ll probably state those opinions now, because over the years I’ve watched as things like this happen and they say, ‘Well, we’re always investigating.’”

The New York Times’ David Sanger:

When asked how he could say that diversity hiring was to blame for the crash even though basic facts about the midair collision were still being sought by investigators, he said, “Because I have common sense.”

“For some jobs, we need the highest level of genius,” he said.

Of the F.A.A. under Mr. Obama, Mr. Trump said: “They actually came out with a directive, too white.”

It shouldn’t be necessary for us to point out that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest any “diversity” hiring programs were responsible for yesterday’s crash, and even if they were it would be impossible to determine something like that during the earliest phases of disaster recovery. This totally unfounded speculation will not ease the suffering of survivors or assist the investigation into what happened. It could honestly be the most insensitive way a leader could possibly respond just hours after a tragedy that killed dozens of Americans.

And it’s what a majority of Americans just voted upon themselves for another four years. If your first instinct hearing about this fully predictable indefensible behavior is to make excuses for Trump like you have since 2016, just know that by 2026 and probably long before, you and the country are going to be deeply tired of hearing those excuses.

During all three of Trump’s campaigns, dividing Americans was Trump’s deliberately chosen strategy. We’re about to learn again the hard way that turning Americans against each other for one man’s political benefit is the last thing our country needs.

Comments

11 thoughts on “Trump Blames “Diversity” For Worst Plane Crash In Years

  1. Sheesh. Donnie's already signed an executive order that includes blaming Obama, Biden, and DEI. Y'all can google it, it's barely worth reading. It's been a long 10 days already.

  2. Washington Post (gift link) points out

    • Trump launched air controller diversity program that he now decries

    • and "Trump’s claim … “During my first term, my Administration raised standards to achieve the highest standards of safety and excellence.”

      That’s false. In his first term, Trump left the standards unchanged.

    •  

    1. Without certainty, there are a number of people claiming the pilots and the Air Traffic Controller involved were all white males. 

      The *resident, claiming DEI mattered to FAA hiring, doesn't distinguish between GENERAL recruiting for Agency positions and the more stringent Air Traffic Controllers program.  Anything said (or written) by this Sad!-ministration and especially its namesake requires recognition that chances of it being true and complete are minuscule. 

       

       

  3. It is absofrickin’lutely amazing that the very same narcissistic dullard clown who’s been so gleefully foisting the least qualified, most inexperienced, unvetted gang of incompetent butt sniffers and lickers to head America’s departments and agencies would have any qualms or criticisms with any hiring practices any elsewhere ??!!??

    Questions that should have been asked:

    “Pete Hegseth, can you state to this committee with any degree of honesty that you are anywhere near close to the very most qualified person in America for this position? And, if not, then should you be considered some kind of “special circumstances or preferences” hire candidate? And, what are those “circumstances,” sir?

    Robert F Kennedy, Jr., same questions?
    Kash Patel, same questions?
    Tulsi Gabbard, same questions?
    Krisi Noem, same questions?
    Dr. Oz, same questions?
    Etc., etc., etc.

    1. There is a sameness that runs through that list. Unqualified…chip on the shoulder…stories all changed…cowardice…

      He has assembled a group of losers who rely on him for the thing all "bosses" bring to the table… Immorality and ruthlessness. 

       

  4. DEI is a code word for black people, women and minorities.

    Whenever Trump says DEI, substitute in Black-Person (or the N-word, seeing as this is Trump talking.)

  5. If you are a racist/white supremacist you believe white people are better – smarter, more capable, etc. If you are not a racist, you believe that anyone's abilities are not related to the color of their skin (or religion, or gender, etc.). If you run a large organization, say the FAA, and your employees are mostly white males (or at least they are overly represented), you would have either the racist reaction – seems about right, or the non-racist reaction – we may not be getting the best people if we are only getting a non-representative segment of the population as a whole. A non-racist might make some effort to encourage underrepresented populations to apply so as to increase the chance you are getting the best candidates. DEI is beneficial in almost every way. Trump is a racist. 

  6. Paralyzed Veterans of American, one of my fave Veteran Service Organization's put out this pretty harsh smackdown – 
     

    Today, the President of the United States suggested that people with disabilities may have had a role in the crash when he explicitly stated that individuals with limb loss, partial and complete paralysis, are unqualified and incapable of holding high skilled, high pressure jobs like Air Traffic Controllers. The implication is that veterans with catastrophic disabilities, like amputations and spinal cord injury, are not smart enough, not skilled enough, and generally unqualified for these types of positions.
    The President’s statements are shameful. As an Army veteran who spent many nighttime hours in a Blackhawk and who incurred a combat-related spinal cord injury in service to this country, I can speak with authority when I say that veterans and all people with disabilities are dedicated, highly skilled, and fully qualified to tackle the most difficult jobs possible. The fact that disabled veterans are now being shamed and minimized by this administration is disrespectful to their service and contributions to America’s greatness.
     

    https://pva.org/news-and-media-center/recent-news/paralyzed-veterans-of-america-releases-statement-following-remarks-made-by-president-donald-trump-addressing-tragic-plane-crash-in-nations-capital/

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