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Trump rips Biden, Democrats for DC plane crash, blames unqualified FAA employees and putting ‘policy first’
By Steven Nelson
Published Jan. 30, 2025, 11:55 a.m. ET

President Trump rips Obama and Biden for hiring unqualified FAA employees during press conference on DC plane crash

WASHINGTON — President Trump used a White House briefing about Wednesday night’s deadly collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River to rail against the Obama and Biden administrations for allegedly lowering standards for air traffic controllers.

The disaster resulted in 64 deaths aboard the American Airlines flight attempting to land at Reagan National Airport from Wichita, Kan., and three Army Black Hawk helicopter pilots.

“I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary. You remember that only the highest aptitude people, highest intellect and psychologically superior people were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers,” Trump told the White House press corps Thursday.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/us-president-donald-trump-holds-97616517.jpg
“I put safety first, Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first,” Trump said during the conference.
WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“And then when I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody’s ever seen because this was the lowest level.”

Trump added: “Almost upon entering office, I signed something last week that was an executive order, a very powerful one, restoring the highest standards of air traffic controllers and others, by the way.”

Air traffic controllers “have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses. You can’t have regular people doing that job.”

Trump said Democratic administrations “put a big push to put diversity into the FAA’s program” and he ripped former President Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a “disaster” who had “a good line of bulls–t” and ran the FAA “right into the ground with his diversity.”

“The FAA diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing,” Trump said.

“The FAA website states they include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism — all qualified for the position of a controller.”

Trump signed orders during his first week in office seeking to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/2025-washington-dc-divers-pulled-97618778.jpg
President Trump used a White House briefing about Wednesday night’s deadly collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River to rail against the Obama and Biden administrations.
AFP via Getty Images

“The FAA — another story — determined that the workforce was too white. They actually came out with a directive, too white, and we want the people that are competent,” he said.

“We’ll restore faith in American air travel, I’ll have more to say about that.”

During the Q&A period, Trump acknowledged, “We don’t know, necessarily, that it was even the controller’s fault” and also blamed the Black Hawk helicopter’s crew for not spotting the plane.

“I have helicopters. You can stop a helicopter very quickly, you have the ability to go up or down and the ability to turn … the helicopter had vision of the plane … and for some reason, there were not adjustments made,” Trump said.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/5342-black-hawk-helicopter-crashed-97618402.jpg
Search and rescue teams work in the aftermath of the collision over the Potomac River.
REUTERS

Trump appeared with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance — who each gave brief remarks without taking questions.

The president also announced that he was naming Chris Rocheleau to be acting FAA administrator — replacing Michael Whitaker, who resigned on Jan. 20, reportedly at the urging of billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk. Rocheleau had been sworn in as the agency’s deputy administrator last week.

“When you don’t have the best standards in who you’re hiring, it means, on the one hand, you’re not getting the best people in government,” Vance said.

“But on the other hand, it puts stresses on the people who are already there.”

Source

What do you think?

Blame game benefits nought, right the wrongs and move ahead. Rip to the death

He is right

Trump needs to get real
He just sacked 400 FAA employees including Air Traffic Controllers just a week ago

Trump doesn’t look like he would complete his 4 year term if he continues like this

The last commercial Airline Crash in the US was 16 years ago

Heartbreaking news. Read more: https://trib.al/wrwq8IV

Judge for yourself.

Flight tragedy

Trump hits out at DEI hiring, many ‘bad decisions’ for deadly midair crash: Helicopter ‘should have seen where they were going’
Follow The Post’s live updates on the deadly plane crash near DC’s Reagan National Airport that left no survivors after an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet Wednesday night.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/29/us-news/washington-dc-plane-crash-live-updates/

OLAADEGBU:
What do you think?

A disappointing statement by Trump.

Terrible leader

Young figure skater saved from doomed flight because his dog was too big to board

He decided to take a car instead after being barred from boarding the plane.

dailymail.co.uk

The filth, the utter repugnant unvarnished filth coming from supposed religious right.

Even if you have such evidence, does anyone dive into blame game so soon after an such a horrific incident? when people are still in mourning??

All the more despicable considering the fact no evidence, as usual, to back his claim.

Honestly what kind of human beings are the average Trump supporter

*Shudder*

KenghisKhan:
Blame game benefits nought, right the wrongs and move ahead. Rip to the death

Sensible

Christistruth02:
Trump needs to get real
He just sacked 400 FAA employees including Air Traffic Controllers just a week ago

Trump doesn’t look like he would complete his 4 year term if he continues like this

The last commercial Airline Crash in the US was 16 years ago

Go and remove him,
you hate the truth

Righteousness2:
Biden Presidency was more intrested in advancing He , She , Binary, non binary, Lgbt+q, transgender Rubbish than anything else.

It was so bad and abominable that Butteigig, the Transport Minister in the Biden Administration was a Man whose wife is a fellow man.

You mean America sef dey employ UNQUALIFIED people?!!!

President Werey, President Isonu

Blame game begin

Signs of useless leader, throwing blames around
The emperor should watch out

He means non-white.

Christistruth02:
Trump needs to get real
He just sacked 400 FAA employees including Air Traffic Controllers just a week ago

Trump doesn’t look like he would complete his 4 year term if he continues like this

The last commercial Airline Crash in the US was 16 years ago

even the republican party will get tired of him soon, dude can't manage crisis as he was never built for it. That's one major weakness he has that led to his disastrous outing in his first term

Merit above mediocrity and equality

As usual. Blame democrats and Biden and Obama. No mention of the fact that he just fired key personnel in aviation sector just a week before this.

Clueless oaf

If we want to talk about DEI being a bad thing, the fact that an unqualified imp like him is president , voted by similar minded people like him should be a concern for how much value we place on qualifications. He’s not near qualified to even be a representative.

OLAADEGBU:
What do you think?

It’s hard to ignore how Trump jumped straight into criticizing the FAA just hours after the crash, especially when the full details were still unclear. Sure, there’s a valid point about reevaluating hires, but jumping to conclusions without the facts only adds to the chaos. Regardless of the politics, all air traffic controllers should be thoroughly checked to ensure the highest standards, especially after something as serious as a plane crash. But maybe next time, let’s wait for all the facts before pointing fingers.

DEI is just another scam from women and woke people who want to displace men from positions they got to by Hardwork and merits and replace them with unqualified women just for being women. Women covet jobs dominated by men such as football, engineering etc and that's why they want to shove DEI down our throats and force equality of outcomes. The implication of this is that many men will be out of jobs esepcially jobs that men naturally gravitate towards such as engineering. Whereas nothing is being done or said about fields dominated by women. So women can retain theirs but it is a problem when men dominate a field according to DIE proponents. This highlights the hypocritical nature and ulterior motive of DEI usually championed by women and woke simps.

You'd never see them advocate for this DEI in dangerous, life threatening jobs that men dominate as well..They want DEI in the white collar jobs that men dominate.

How many women can work in risky and dangerous terrains that require physical and mental toughness? They don't want DEI here. Men can die for all they care. What about DEI in going to war? You won't hear pim.

They want to reap the benefits of everything men worked for and built on the alter of DEI. I usually pity men who champion all these woke initiatives. I feel sorry for you becuase you don't know the end game yet.

As men, we're proud of our God given skills, talents and physical strength which allow us excel in certain positions and we're not interested in fighting for equal representation in fields dominated by women..we don't give a Bleep. Same cannot be said of women. They never build any thing but always want to encroach and hijack things built by men already.

Women are welcome to play in the men space, we respect that. Equal opportunity for all no doubt but outcome will be based on merits over DEI. Let that sink!

The end is nigh, it scary.

This calamity is just ridiculing America with different stupid talks and actions..

After recently removing some people from this same Aviation industry, nah Obama e con dey blame. The calamity go soon blame Abraham Lincoln $ George bush..

Naso e go blame everybody for 4 years..

Arrogant and Mr. Know-all Trump. Continue, only time will tell

I like his male and female gender affirmation, tho

Righteousness2:
Biden Presidency was more intrested in advancing He , She , Binary, non binary, Lgbt+q, transgender Rubbish than anything else.

It was so bad and abominable that Butteigig, the Transport Minister in the Biden Administration was a Man whose wife is a fellow man.

Thanks to GOD for the Trump's Presidency, and the Quick Decisions it made. The Undiluted and Unadulterated Wrath of GOD that should Consume America has been Suspended for the time being ,due to Bold, Courageous and Godly Decisions The Trump Presidency has made in the past few days.


America has really be Unburden by what has been

Sir please what's the name of the husband of the incoming Treasury secretary?

Trump is an idiot.The bastard is not concerned about the safety of his people, all he wants to do is focus on deportation. How can unreasonable Trump blame the past administration for something that happened under his watch?The most stupid president ever!