Donald Trump frowns while looking out into the crowd at a GOP conference
(Joe Raedle/Getty)

‘This press conference is disgusting’: Donald Trump spends plane crash conference blaming DEI, Obama, and Biden

During a press conference in which he was supposed to provide answers about a devastating plane crash to grieving families, Donald Trump went on a rant attacking DEI, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.

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On January 29, America suffered its worst aviation disaster since 2001 when an American Airlines plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter in midair above the Potomac River. The aircraft departed from Wichita, KS, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter held three crew members. The morning after the crash, Americans woke up to the devastating confirmation that all crew and passengers were feared dead as the rescue efforts switched to a recovery effort. At this point, it is far too early to speculate about the cause of the devastating accident. Not only will a proper investigation be required for answers, but wild, thoughtless speculation is a severe insult to the families who are still waiting for news on their loved ones.

Sadly, the President of the United States waited less than 24 hours to politicize the tragedy and use it to rage about his political adversaries and his unhinged, all-consuming obsession with DEI.

Donald Trump goes on disgusting rant during plane crash conference

Trump held a press conference at 11:00 AM EST the day after the crash. Although he started with a moment of silence for those lost, he quickly switched the narrative to his agenda. Despite admitting that he does “not know what led to this crash,” he somehow decided now was the time for his “very strong opinions and ideas.” He immediately started on the DEI track, as he made unsubstantiated claims that Barack Obama, during his presidency, lowered standards in the aviation field. Trump claimed that he raised standards during his first presidency but insisted that when “Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before.”

Trump laughably claims that “Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first. And they put politics at a level that nobody has ever seen.” It’s an entirely hypocritical and ridiculous comment, considering Trump fired the heads of TSA and gutted the Aviation Safety Advisory Committee for no other reason than that he felt it wasn’t focused enough on his personal “agenda.” No president besides him has so blatantly put politics over competence and America’s safety.

After blaming Biden and Obama, Trump launches into DEI. He takes the FAA’s DEI initiatives out of context, stating, “The FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.” The FAA simply complies with the People with Disabilities Program (PWD) to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities in hiring practices. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that any of the FAA’s DEI initiatives were related to the crash nor that the FAA hired unqualified individuals for vital positions. However, when Trump saw their work with PWD, he instantly jumped on the opportunity to blame the disabled community for the devastating plane crash.

His rant was so horrific that countless X users denounced it as “disgusting.” One user wrote, “Donald Trump proving once again what a feeble minded idiot he is. This press conference is disgusting.” John Gaz wrote, “This is so f—ing disgusting.” A reporter at the press conference attempted to call out Trump, questioning why he’s “getting ahead of the investigation” and demanding if he thinks his actions are a “comfort” for the families. In response, Trump said mockingly, “That’s not a very smart question.”

Trump’s blame game may be his attempt to distract from the fact that he recklessly fired TSA heads and dismissed the Aviation Safety Advisor Committee days before the plane crash. There was also no FAA chief in place at the time of the crash due to Trump’s administration forcing Michael Whitaker out. These changes were made when the FAA was already struggling with dangerous staff shortages. While there’s no evidence that these actions directly led to the crash, they threaten further devastating disasters down the line if Trump doesn’t stop tampering with aviation safety. Even if he hadn’t made these senseless and reckless decisions, his press conference would still be unacceptable.

He is the President of the United States and is supposed to lead America in times of crisis. At that press conference, countless Americans, including grieving families, looked to him for answers, support, and assurances that something would be done to ensure this horrific tragedy never happens again. Instead, they got an apathetic and unhinged rant about DEI, which Trump has already been relentlessly talking about for 10 days straight. It’s no wonder he thinks a question about the comfort of grieving families isn’t “smart” when he sees every tragedy as an opportunity to push his agenda with absolutely no thought whatsoever to the lives lost.


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Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski is a Staff Writer for The Mary Sue, who frequently covers DC, Marvel, Star Wars, literature, and celebrity news. She has over three years of experience in the digital media and entertainment industry, and her works can also be found on Screen Rant, JustWatch, and Tell-Tale TV. She enjoys running, reading, snarking on YouTube personalities, and working on her future novel when she's not writing professionally. You can find more of her writing on Twitter at @RachelUlatowski.