President Donald Trump did not mince words in the wake of the catastrophic mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., that claimed 67 lives, using a Thursday press conference to draw attention to what he described as dangerously lowered aviation standards under the Biden administration.
While acknowledging that investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the crash, Trump questioned whether diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies had played a role—immediately drawing pushback from media figures eager to shield the administration from scrutiny.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins wasted no time in objecting to Trump’s remarks, accusing him of “blaming Democrats and DEI policies and air traffic control and seemingly the member of the U.S. military who was flying that Black Hawk helicopter.”
Trump to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “That’s not a very smart question — I’m surprised, coming from you.” pic.twitter.com/ZrIOICJ5tg
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 30, 2025
Trump, unfazed by the attempted gotcha question, responded directly. “No, I don’t think so at all,” he said. “I don’t think, with the names of the people, you mean the names of the people that are on the plane? You think that’s going to make a difference? They are a group of people that have lost their lives. If you want a list of the names, we can give you that, we will be giving that very soon.” Then, looking directly at Collins, he added, “I think that’s not a very smart question, I’m surprised, coming from you.”
It was classic Trump—direct, unapologetic, and unwilling to let the media reframe the conversation. And while the corporate press predictably rushed to paint his comments as “insensitive,” the truth is that Trump was raising legitimate concerns about air safety under Biden’s leadership.
Earlier in the press conference, the president pointed out that during his first term, air traffic control standards were strengthened to prioritize safety and competence. However, under Biden, those standards were weakened in the name of diversity hiring initiatives.
Trump cited language directly from the FAA’s own website, which promotes recruitment of individuals with severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric disorders, and other conditions as part of its DEI-driven hiring process.
“Flying is about precision, skill, and judgment. You don’t compromise those things,” Trump stated firmly. “Yet the Biden administration decided that meeting diversity quotas was more important than keeping our skies safe.”
The fatal collision—between an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members and a military Black Hawk helicopter carrying three service members—has thrust America’s aviation safety into the national spotlight. With wreckage now scattered across the Potomac River and no survivors from either aircraft, Trump’s call for an immediate reassessment of FAA hiring practices is not just political rhetoric—it’s a demand for accountability.
