President Trump Thursday blamed the lethal crash of American Airways Flight 5342 on former President Biden and supposed Democratic range, equality and inclusion insurance policies.
With out offering any proof, Trump harshly attacked Biden, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and different Democratic officers for supposedly reducing requirements for air visitors controllers, which he recommended might have led to the collision between the airplane and an Military helicopter close to Reagan Nationwide Airport.
“I put safety first. They put politics at a level know one has ever seen,” Trump stated.
Trump claimed, with out providing proof, that he imposed increased requirements for air visitors controllers in his first time period and that these requirements have been eased by Buttigieg and Biden within the title of making a extra numerous workforce.
“You can’t have regular people doing that job,” Trump stated about air visitors controllers. “For some jobs, they have to be at the highest level of genius.”
Pressed by reporters, Trump admitted that he didn’t know the controller was in charge a lot much less that so-called DEI insurance policies performed any position in both the individual’s hiring or the crash, which killed all 67 folks on the 2 plane.
“It just could have been,” he stated. “It’s called common sense.”
Buttigieg rapidly hit again at Trump, who used an expletive to explain his stewardship of the Division of Transportation.
He famous that in his time period, America “had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights.”
Democratic Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer stated Trump’s blame recreation “turns your stomach.”
“It’s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracy theories, it’s another for the president of the United States,” Schumer stated on the Capitol.
Biden ignored Trump’s partisan jabs in a tweet: “Jill and I are praying for the families of the victims who tragically lost their lives in the plane and helicopter crash near (Reagan National Airport).”
Within the rambling 40-minute press convention, Trump began by putting a somber be aware of mourning and referred to as on People to unite to grieve the victims.
However he rapidly shifted into assault mode, alternately pointed fingers at Democrats, air visitors controllers dealing with the flight and the unnamed Military pilot of the doomed helicopter.
He supplied a number of conflicting theories about what might have precipitated the crash.
At first, Trump appeared to leap to the conclusion that the air visitors controller did not hold a navy Black Hawk helicopter from colliding with the American flight that was on strategy for touchdown at Reagan Nationwide Airport.
He recommended the controller ought to have acted to maintain the 2 aircrafts at completely different altitudes.
He later mused the helicopter pilot will need to have erred by flying in the direction of the airplane, particularly because it was a transparent night time and there have been no adversarial climate circumstances.
Nonetheless, it’s price noting that there have been windy circumstances in D.C Wednesday, with gusts as much as 50 mph.
Minutes later, Trump admitted he investigation remains to be in its earliest levels and nobody actually is aware of who if anybody is in charge.
“We do not know what led to this crash,” he stated. “But we have some strong opinions.”
