President Donald Trump addressed the nation Thursday regarding the crash in DC between a military helicopter and a commercial jet. The 11 a.m. press briefing began with plenty of questions but no real answers. In short, we don’t know exactly what went wrong, why, or who – if anyone – is to blame. The president quickly transitioned to speculation, however, saying it could have been caused by the relaxed hiring practices of the Biden administration and its obsession with DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).
A US Army Blackhawk helicopter with three service members aboard crashed last night with a commercial flight out of Kansas with 64 people aboard over the Potomac not far from Reagan International. Both aircraft were in working order, the night was clear, and the pilots were both used to navigating the area, and there’s no indication yet as to what went wrong, according to investigators. At the January 30 press briefing, President Trump explained that there were no answers yet. Perhaps one of the pilots was to blame, or maybe the air traffic control person did something wrong, the president speculated. He went on to explain that he had tightened up hiring requirements for both pilots and air traffic controllers – along with other critical professions – but that Biden quickly undid his work and focused instead on DEI.
During the Q&A, Trump clarified in response to a reporter’s question that he wasn’t blaming DEI or saying that the air traffic controller or either pilot wasn’t qualified, as it might have seemed in his initial remarks. Rather, he was just explaining the possibilities.
No survivors are expected among the 67 victims of the crash, though not all are yet accounted for. Among the commercial flight passengers were Russian nationals. Trump explained that he had already been in touch with Russian officials and that he would facilitate transportation for the dead.
As the president said, there aren’t really any answers yet, but an investigation is underway. Newly minted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that they Army would be conducting its own investigation, as would the FAA and others.
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