President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After an American Airlines plane and a Blackhawk helicopter collided Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump’s response included blaming the Biden administration and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies for the disaster.

About 14 hours after the crash happened over the Potomac River, Trump took the podium at the White House to address the event, implying that the catastrophe could have been avoided had the people involved used better judgement. Trump also blamed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for “running it [civil aviation] right into the ground with his diversity.”

After minutes of blaming former President Joe Biden, Buttigieg and DEI, Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — who was sworn in two days ago — praised Trump’s leadership and told the press that the administration will not accept excuses for the deadly collision.

Buttigieg responded on X, calling the comments “despicable” and saying Trump “should be leading, not lying.”

On Jan. 20, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) leader Michael Whitaker stepped down after being told to resign by Trump advisor Elon Musk, leaving the administration with no Senate-confirmed leader at the time of the crash. Last Tuesday, members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee received a memo from the Trump administration saying their department is eliminating all membership as part of a “commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security.” On the same day, Trump also fired the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard.

On Tuesday, 2 million federal workers, including air traffic controllers, were offered a “deferred resignation” package, incentivizing them to quit their jobs in a Trump administration effort to save money. Last May, the FAA estimated that it was short 3,000 air traffic controllers.

During the Q-and-A section of the press conference, Trump deflected a question pressing him about his dubious DEI theory, claiming that his common sense brought him to the conclusion.

The plane, which departed from Wichita, Kan. and was bound to land at Reagan National Airport, collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter while it was reportedly conducting a training exercise. All 67 people involved are presumed dead.