On Wednesday night, a passenger plane flying from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a U.S. Army helicopter above the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., tragically resulting in the deaths of all combined 67 individuals, according to CNN. Thursday morning, President Donald Trump spoke to reporters regarding the incident.
Although his second presidency is young, Trump handled the briefing of a tragedy with his usual lack of taste, formulating the accident into a political game and leaning on his hatred of DEI initiatives across the U.S.
At first sticking to his talking points, Trump actually seemed empathetic for the victims’ families and motivated to ensure a similar tragedy never occurs again. Then, like scratching an itch, he began alluding to his “very strong opinions and ideas” as to what went wrong. It quickly became clear that he was going to use this tragedy as a medium to justify his political agenda of doing away with DEI initiatives across the U.S.
Above all, the main issue regarding his statements during the briefing are a lack of basis in truth overall. Trump blamed the incident largely on DEI initiatives for air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
According to CBS and News, Trump said, “I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first.” However, the article also notes that Wednesday’s tragedy was “the first major commercial plane crash in the U.S. in more than a decade.” Throughout the briefing, he made it clear what “policy” he believed Democrats were putting first, though the FAA ran extremely smoothly with implemented DEI initiatives.
During the briefing, Trump also said, “We want the most competent people. We don't care what race they are. If they don't have a great brain, a great power of the brain, they're not going to be very good at what they do and bad things will happen."
Trump’s suggestion that DEI initiatives already implemented in the government agency are taking away competency and talent is simply violent rhetoric without backing. Attributing these policies to a tragedy is a completely bigoted tactic that many Americans will fall victim to believing.
Even if Trump had evidence to prove his theories, the president’s job amid tragedy is to lead the country calmly and sensitively while executing a plan of action. All of the victims’ bodies haven’t been found, names haven’t been released and families are mourning shocking losses. Meanwhile, Trump is finding a way to turn the tragedy into a partisan issue and an insensitive blame game.
According to CBS News, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Shumer said, “It's one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracy theories, it's another for the president of the United States to throw out idle speculation as bodies are still being recovered and families still being notified.”
As Trump handled his first – what should’ve been non-partisan – tragedy, it is clear that his highest values and interests lie in playing political games and blaming the other party.
Layne Rey is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Layne know by tweeting her @laynerey12.
