President Donald J. Trump addressed the nation following a devastating midair collision at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night.

The crash, which occurred around 9 p.m. EST, involved an American Airlines flight arriving from Kansas and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter.

All 64 passengers and crew members aboard the plane, as well as the three soldiers in the helicopter, were killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the incident, with officials stating that a full report could take months to complete.

However, early reports indicate that air traffic control communications and approach procedures will be key areas of review.

In his national address, President Trump expressed condolences for the victims and their families while also calling for accountability in aviation safety policies.

He pointed to concerns over hiring standards within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and broader transportation policies under the Biden administration.

This is what Trump was referring to when he called out the FAA for their DEI hiring practices to hire people with “severe psychiatric and intellectual disabilities.”

It’s real. You can’t make this up. https://t.co/twuulb2qEN pic.twitter.com/1iYUB8KUVq

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 30, 2025

“The safety of the American people should always come first. We cannot afford to put ideology above competency when it comes to critical positions like air traffic controllers and aviation safety officials,” Trump said.

JUST IN: President Trump implies CNN’s Kaitlan Collins is stupid during a press conference on the Reagan Airport tragedy.

Collins: “You are blaming Democrats and DEI policies and air traffic control… Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of the investigation right now?”

Trump:… pic.twitter.com/kp6HWsDtr2

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 30, 2025

The president’s remarks quickly drew reactions from media figures and political commentators, particularly over his criticism of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in federal hiring.

CNN’s aviation correspondent Pete Muntean was among the first to push back on Trump’s comments, reacting emotionally during a live broadcast.

“I put my head in my hands, Pam, when the President said that. This is something that has been pushed by the far right for a few months now, that DEI policies are to blame in the degradation of safety in aviation in the United States. But frankly, the President is getting out ahead of his skis here,” Muntean said.

He continued, “What he has said is not only unprofessional, unpresidential, inconsiderate of the status of this investigation, but frankly, it is just unhinged that he could even say with any sort of certainty that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies had any part to play in this accident. Remember that 67 people are dead.”

Muntean also defended the FAA and the Department of Transportation, claiming that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had prioritized aviation safety during his tenure.

“The fact of the matter is that Transportation Secretary Buttigieg was very hard on aviation safety. There was a day-long safety stand-down because of the rise of near collisions on the runways at commercial airports nationwide,” he said.

Muntean pointed out that several key positions remain unfilled, including the administrator of the FAA and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

“There is no administrator of the FAA right now. President Trump has not put somebody forth for that. There is no administrator of the Transportation Safety Administration. The Trump administration needs to put forth somebody for that as well,” he said.

WATCH as CNN’s @PeteMuntean UNLOADS Jim Acosta-style on Donald Trump after the White House press briefing, defends Pete Buttigieg’s tenure at the Transportation Department: “I put my head in my hands, Pam, when the President said that. This is something that has been pushed by… pic.twitter.com/RVXMzG4WjC

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025

Other CNN media figures, including Jeff Zeleny, Dana Bash, and Kaitlan Collins, also weighed in, with Bash suggesting that Trump’s statements regarding DEI policies were making people more fearful of flying.

CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, melting down, blaming Trump for the crash: “Dana, we are entering a period here where government matters, competency matters…That hour of anguish, the President started talking about, just instantaneously turned into a period of blame, blaming former… pic.twitter.com/6hQykZ1EYS

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025

CNN’s Dana Bash baselessly claims Donald Trump has now made Americans too scared to fly because of DEI programs pic.twitter.com/5l9HWkRBDh

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025

CNN’s @KaitlanCollins suggests vacancies at the top positions of federal aviation under Donald Trump could be to blame for last night’s deadly crash: “We did not hear from the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, who was sitting right there in… pic.twitter.com/KH9yHaGO7m

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 30, 2025

The White House has yet to respond to Trump’s remarks or the criticisms leveled at federal transportation agencies.

Meanwhile, the NTSB and the FAA continue their investigation into the crash, with officials expected to provide preliminary findings in the coming weeks.

As the country mourns the loss of those who perished in the disaster, the debate over aviation safety policies and hiring practices is likely to continue in the political arena.

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