President Trump alleges that the FAA's diversity push, including hiring individuals with disabilities, contributed to the deadly midair collision in Washington. However, no evidence supports this claim, and aviation experts criticize his remarks as unfounded and politically motivated.
President Donald Trump suggested, without any evidence, on Thursday that the deadly midair collision of two aircraft in Washington was a direct result of the Federal Aviation Administration's ( FAA ) efforts to hire a more diverse workforce. Trump made this accusation at a White House press conference called to update Americans on the Wednesday night crash, where a passenger jet preparing to land at Reagan National Airport collided with an Army helicopter on a training flight.
The cause of the air crash remains unclear, and there is absolutely no evidence that attempts to diversify the federal workforce have compromised air safety. Despite this, Trump used the briefing to intensify his rhetoric on the issue, this time criticizing the FAA, which regulates commercial U.S. air travel. 'The FAA diversity push includes a focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing,' Trump said, claiming the FAA wanted individuals 'with severe disabilities, the most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in and they want them - they can be air traffic controllers.' When asked how he could blame diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring for the crash without knowing who was at fault, Trump responded, 'because I have common sense.' 'Air traffic controllers have to be at the highest level of genius,' he added. A former FAA official told Reuters that air traffic controllers undergo rigorous testing - both mentally and physically - before being hired. \Trump's comments sparked criticism from aviation safety experts, disability rights advocates, and Democratic lawmakers. The Republican president has made the elimination of any policy aimed at promoting diversity a hallmark of his newly formed administration, part of a broader effort to shrink, purge, and reshape the U.S. federal government to align with his political priorities. Later on Thursday, Trump issued an executive memorandum directing his administration to assess and overturn diversity initiatives in aviation safety roles. Last week, Trump signed an order calling for the elimination of government diversity programs, including the closure of all federal offices and jobs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and placing all federal DEI office staff on paid leave as their offices face closure. Advocates for DEI programs and initiatives argue that they are essential to address long-standing inequities and systemic racism affecting marginalized communities. 'As part of any investigation, we look at the human, the machine, and the environment,' said National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, when asked about Trump's comments. 'We look at facts in our investigation, and that will take some time.' The board is responsible for independently investigating air disasters. The FAA did not respond to a request for comment on Trump's claims. There were no survivors among the 64 people on the jet and the three soldiers on the helicopter, making the crash the deadliest U.S. air disaster in over 20 years. 'Blaming a natural aircraft disaster on people with disabilities and the programs designed to foster integration is unfounded,' said James Ward, founder and executive director of ADA Watch/Coalition for Disability Rights & Justice. 'It is ableist, bigoted, and puts a target on the backs of people with disabilities, physically endangering us.' Anthony Brickhouse, an aviation safety expert, stated that diversity efforts had no impact on safety standards. 'Finding out what happened to cause an accident and making changes to get better is what safety is about,' he said. 'This isn’t the time for politics, this isn’t the time for an agenda.' Trump specifically criticized Pete Buttigieg, who served as transportation secretary for former President Joe Biden. In response to Trump's suggestion that DEI played a role in the crash, Buttigieg wrote on X: 'Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.'
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