President Donald Trump said the victims who lost their lives in the airplane collision outside Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington Wednesday are in the “warm embrace of a loving God” and seemed to blame the push for diversity, equity and inclusion by the federal government for the tragedy.
Trump addressed reporters at a press conference Thursday, just over 12 hours after a U.S. Army helicopter collided with a commercial jet outside the airport in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital.
Sixty-seven people are feared dead, including 60 passengers and four crew members on the passenger airplane as well as the three members of the U.S. Armed Forces aboard the helicopter.
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The president began his speech by asking for a moment of silence for the victims and their families.
“As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly,” he said. “We are in mourning.”
“On behalf of the first lady, myself and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours and our prayers are with you now and in the days to come,” Trump added. “We’re here for you to wipe away the tears and to offer you our devotion, our love and our support.”
“In moments like this, the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all both as Americans and even as nations,” he continued. “We are one family, and today, we are all heartbroken.”
Trump said Americans can “take solace in the knowledge that their journey ended not in the cold waters of the Potomac but in the warm embrace of a loving God.”
He also asked God to “watch over those who have lost their lives and bring comfort to the loved ones.” He concluded by declaring, “God bless everyone in this room.”
While Trump indicated that the federal government was working to investigate the cause of the crash, he appeared to imply that federal policy relating to diversity, equity and inclusion may have played a role in the tragedy. Trump specifically singled out standards related to the hiring of air traffic controllers.
Trump noted that he signed an executive order “restoring our highest standards for air traffic controllers and other important jobs throughout the country” shortly after taking office last week, condemning policies implemented by the Biden administration.
The president cited a Fox News article highlighting how the Federal Aviation Administration’s “diversity push includes a focus on hiring people with ‘severe intellectual’ and ‘psychiatric’ disabilities” because of a belief that people with such disabilities are “the most underrepresented segment of the workforce.”
Trump said, “The FAA [was] actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website.”
The president said individuals with handicaps, including deficient hearing and vision as well as “missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism,” all qualified for the position of air traffic controller.
Trump read from the FAA’s Diversity and Inclusion Plan, stating, “Diversity is integral to achieving FAA’s mission of safe and efficient travel.” He pushed back on that analysis, repeatedly identifying merit and intelligence as the most important factors to consider when choosing air traffic controllers.
The president asserted that the pilot of the passenger aircraft was “doing everything right” by “using the same track as everybody else” when attempting to land the plane while raising questions as to why the helicopter was at “the same height” and “going at an angle that was unbelievably bad.”
Trump said, “It was a very clear night,” and the passenger aircraft had all of the necessary lights on.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
