Trump’s strategy for disasters: Hold Democrats responsible and make tragedy political
The president expressed his views to reporters, stating, "I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don't.”
TroibNews 
Donald Trump has a history of leveraging crises for his own political gain, and his press conference on Thursday concerning the recent fatal air accident reflected this tendency once more.
Following a moment of silence for the 67 presumed deceased passengers and their families, Trump quickly resurrected his habit of attributing blame for tragedies to his political adversaries. Even before the victims' names were released and while the National Transportation Safety Board was still initiating its investigation into the incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport—a crash he called a “tragedy of terrible proportions”—Trump implicated Democrats and pointed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as contributing factors.
His remarks revealed a stark contrast between the recommendation to unite as Americans and his instinct to foster division. Just after stating that “differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all,” he shifted gears to assign blame.
Trump criticized former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for issues with air traffic controller standards. He took aim at former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, claiming he had a “good line of bullshit,” and reiterated that DEI policies were a problem during Biden’s administration, despite having been in place throughout Trump's own first term.
“I put safety first,” Trump asserted. “Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody's ever seen, because this was the lowest level. Their policy was horrible, and their politics was even worse.”
When pressed by a reporter for evidence to support his claims about diversity hiring causing the crash, Trump provided none: “just could’ve been,” he responded.
Throughout his career, Trump has frequently used disasters to bolster his political position or undermine his rivals. During a visit to hurricane-damaged Western North Carolina, he blamed Biden for the situation. In California, he criticized Mayor Karen Bass in the wake of severe wildfires. After a rail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, he condemned the Biden administration's response as “indifference and betrayal.”
Now, Trump finds himself back in command.
Ron Alvarado, a captain at a major airline who also served as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, refrained from linking the collision to DEI policies in a PMG interview. “That’s the president’s opinion based on info he’s receiving,” he noted, explaining that the helicopter in question was likely operating at an altitude higher than allowed.
After the tragic midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, Trump quickly took to Truth Social to blame air traffic controllers, claiming they should have directed the helicopter.
The incident prompted an urgent search and recovery effort in the Potomac River, resulting in the retrieval of multiple bodies by Thursday morning. By then, 27 bodies had been recovered from the Bombardier CRJ700, while one body was found from the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter. The American Airlines flight carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter had three soldiers on board.
To address the tragedy, Trump announced the appointment of Chris Rocheleau, an executive from an aviation trade group, as the acting FAA administrator. Complicating immediate responses was the recent ousting of the Senate-confirmed FAA chief Mike Whitaker, orchestrated by Elon Musk amid controversies surrounding the billionaire’s companies.
In response to Trump’s politicization of the event, Buttigieg condemned his remarks as “despicable,” contending that instead of spreading misinformation, the president should be showing real leadership. He cited the Biden administration's record of prioritizing safety and minimizing commercial airline accidents.
In remarks from the briefing room, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy faced significant pressure, promising to reject excuses related to the incident. Republican lawmakers largely deflected questions about Trump's claims regarding diversity, with some expressing lack of knowledge about the situation.
Trump received updates about the incident during a Situation Room briefing from national security advisor Mike Waltz and Duffy. Following the tragedy, swift action was taken, with announcements of ongoing recovery operations and investigations by various governmental bodies.
Historically, Trump has positioned himself as a staunch advocate for aviation safety, claiming significant improvements during his term. However, initiatives to privatize air traffic control ultimately stalled in Congress.
When asked in the briefing room why he associated the crash with DEI, Trump replied: "Because I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don't.”
Contributors to this report include Lisa Kashinsky, Irie Sentner, and Oriana Pawlyk.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
Following a moment of silence for the 67 presumed deceased passengers and their families, Trump quickly resurrected his habit of attributing blame for tragedies to his political adversaries. Even before the victims' names were released and while the National Transportation Safety Board was still initiating its investigation into the incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport—a crash he called a “tragedy of terrible proportions”—Trump implicated Democrats and pointed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as contributing factors.
His remarks revealed a stark contrast between the recommendation to unite as Americans and his instinct to foster division. Just after stating that “differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all,” he shifted gears to assign blame.
Trump criticized former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for issues with air traffic controller standards. He took aim at former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, claiming he had a “good line of bullshit,” and reiterated that DEI policies were a problem during Biden’s administration, despite having been in place throughout Trump's own first term.
“I put safety first,” Trump asserted. “Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody's ever seen, because this was the lowest level. Their policy was horrible, and their politics was even worse.”
When pressed by a reporter for evidence to support his claims about diversity hiring causing the crash, Trump provided none: “just could’ve been,” he responded.
Throughout his career, Trump has frequently used disasters to bolster his political position or undermine his rivals. During a visit to hurricane-damaged Western North Carolina, he blamed Biden for the situation. In California, he criticized Mayor Karen Bass in the wake of severe wildfires. After a rail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, he condemned the Biden administration's response as “indifference and betrayal.”
Now, Trump finds himself back in command.
Ron Alvarado, a captain at a major airline who also served as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, refrained from linking the collision to DEI policies in a PMG interview. “That’s the president’s opinion based on info he’s receiving,” he noted, explaining that the helicopter in question was likely operating at an altitude higher than allowed.
After the tragic midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, Trump quickly took to Truth Social to blame air traffic controllers, claiming they should have directed the helicopter.
The incident prompted an urgent search and recovery effort in the Potomac River, resulting in the retrieval of multiple bodies by Thursday morning. By then, 27 bodies had been recovered from the Bombardier CRJ700, while one body was found from the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter. The American Airlines flight carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter had three soldiers on board.
To address the tragedy, Trump announced the appointment of Chris Rocheleau, an executive from an aviation trade group, as the acting FAA administrator. Complicating immediate responses was the recent ousting of the Senate-confirmed FAA chief Mike Whitaker, orchestrated by Elon Musk amid controversies surrounding the billionaire’s companies.
In response to Trump’s politicization of the event, Buttigieg condemned his remarks as “despicable,” contending that instead of spreading misinformation, the president should be showing real leadership. He cited the Biden administration's record of prioritizing safety and minimizing commercial airline accidents.
In remarks from the briefing room, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy faced significant pressure, promising to reject excuses related to the incident. Republican lawmakers largely deflected questions about Trump's claims regarding diversity, with some expressing lack of knowledge about the situation.
Trump received updates about the incident during a Situation Room briefing from national security advisor Mike Waltz and Duffy. Following the tragedy, swift action was taken, with announcements of ongoing recovery operations and investigations by various governmental bodies.
Historically, Trump has positioned himself as a staunch advocate for aviation safety, claiming significant improvements during his term. However, initiatives to privatize air traffic control ultimately stalled in Congress.
When asked in the briefing room why he associated the crash with DEI, Trump replied: "Because I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don't.”
Contributors to this report include Lisa Kashinsky, Irie Sentner, and Oriana Pawlyk.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
