Trump Mixes Grief with Politics After Fatal D.C. Air Crash
Fatal D.C. Air Crash: WASHINGTON – In a moment typically set aside for national unity and consolation, President Donald Trump spoke to the nation after a tragic mid-air collision between a commercial airliner and a military helicopter over Washington took the lives of 67 people.
Stepping to the podium in the White House briefing room on Thursday, Trump began by making a somber gesture; he called for a moment of silence to respect the victims and their bereaved families. But it was not a tone that he could maintain because he went on to shift the blame to his Democratic predecessors, who hired air traffic controllers based on diversity, were lowering the standards.
Trump presented no evidence for this claim. Questioned by one reporter on what he knew in relation to a connection between his diversity initiatives and the crash, he replied sharply, “Because I have common sense.”
As it has been from the very first day of their existence, throughout history, the U.S. presidents have greatly contributed to bringing the country together in the wake of tragedy: Ronald Reagan during the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion tragedy, George W. Bush following the 9/11 tragedy, and Barack Obama after the Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy.
Trump has largely been different, though. During his presidential campaign in 2016, he condemned then-President Obama for not using the term “radical Islam” after the shooting of people in a nightclub in Orlando, killing dozens. After a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, Trump indicated that the casualty count might have been lower if there had been armed security on site. On the anniversary of 9/11 in 2019, he started the day with a somber tweet before launching into attacks against the Federal Reserve and the media.
Just days into his second term, Trump again courted controversy when he threatened to withhold wildfire relief from California unless the state redirected water resources to the south.
Trump’s response to Wednesday night’s air disaster was swift. Within hours of the mid-air collision involving American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport, Trump was writing on Truth Social of why the helicopter did not “get out of the way of the plane,” adding, “Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane?”. This is a bad situation, looks like it should have been prevented.
By Thursday morning, his rhetoric had gotten more intense. Speaking from the White House, Trump tied the incident to the policies of former Presidents Obama and Biden, blaming their diversity-driven hiring efforts. He further targeted the former Secretary of Transportation of Biden, Pete Buttigieg, calling him a “disaster” in charge of the Federal Aviation Administration. “Do you know how badly everything has run since he took over?” Trump said sarcastically.
Buttigieg swiftly shot back, denouncing Trump’s comments as “despicable,” and on X (formerly Twitter) asserted, “as families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.”
Other political leaders have also spoken out against Trump’s comments. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the president for his spreading of unsubstantiated rumor while families of victims were still being notified. He said, “This is stomach-turning.” NAACP President Derrick Johnson accused Trump of using his platform to push divisiveness based on lies.
Yet, towards the end of his speech, Trump did show to be condoling by accepting the fact that the tragedy was a mishap. “We are in mourning,” he said, adding, “A lot of people have been shaken.” He complimented first responders for their quick action and asserted sympathy before those foreign nationals- this time Russian figure skaters who were listed among the passenger in this tragedy. “Our hearts are shattered alongside yours,” he said.
Just hours later, though, Trump went back to being his combative self. When asked in the Oval Office if he thought race or gender was a factor in the crash, he said, “It may have. I don’t know. Incompetence might have played a role.”undefinedIn the wake of this tragedy for the nation, Trump’s remarks once again showcased his unique brand of crisis leadership: combining an expression of sorrow with a spiky political commentary.
