Donald Trump ‘joked’ about visiting the site of yesterday’s American Airlines tragedy, when asked about it at a press conference.
The President was asked if he would be attending the area of Ronald Reagan National Airport where the commercial jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter.
All 67 people on board the aircrafts died when the plane crashed into the military chopper over Washington DC’s Potomac River, where a search and rescue mission is ongoing.
The Mirror reports Mr Trump, 78, said: “I have a plan to visit – not the site. Because what – you tell me. What’s the site? Water. We’re going to go swimming?”
The sick joke came as the world leader baselessly blamed diversity initiatives for undermining air safety and questioned the actions of a US Army helicopter pilot involved in the mid air collision.
Trump also complained the commercial aircraft and Black Hawk helicopter were both at the “same height” in the moments before the smash, which happened on Wednesday night.
The crash occurred while a flight from Wichita, Kansas, was landing at the busy airport. First responders continue to recover bodies from the Potomac River.
Officials have not yet to formally establish the causes of the collision, and Mr Trump himself acknowledged that it was too soon to draw conclusions as he encouraged the country to pray for the victims.
However, he quickly moved to engage in speculation and political attacks, at a moment when Americans traditionally look to the presidency for comfort, assurance and facts.
Speaking in the same press conference at the White House, the politician said he blamed diversity initiatives “because I have common sense, and unfortunately a lot of people don’t.”
He continued: “We want the most competent people. We don’t care what race they are.” Pete Buttigieg, who served as the US secretary of transportation from 2021 to 2025 under the previous government, blasted the President’s comments.
Describing the remarks as “despicable”, he said on X: “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.” The deadly plane crash was the first major disaster of Mr Trump’s new term.
Yet his handling of it so far has drawn criticism from rivals, notably Democrats. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said: “It’s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracy theories, it’s another for the president of the United States.”
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