WASHINGTON — President Trump used a White Home briefing about Wednesday evening’s lethal collision between a passenger jet and a army helicopter over the Potomac River to rail in opposition to the Obama and Biden administrations for allegedly decreasing requirements for air visitors controllers.
The catastrophe resulted in 64 deaths aboard the American Airways flight making an attempt to land at Reagan Nationwide Airport from Wichita, Kan., and three Military Black Hawk helicopter pilots.
“I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary. You remember that only the highest aptitude people, highest intellect and psychologically superior people were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers,” Trump informed the White Home press corps Thursday.
“After which once I left workplace and Biden took over, he modified them again to decrease than ever earlier than. I put security first, Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put coverage first, they usually put politics at a degree that no person’s ever seen as a result of this was the bottom degree.
“About a week ago, almost upon entering office, I signed something last week that was an executive order, very powerful, and restoring the highest standards of air traffic controllers and others.”
Trump mentioned Democratic administrations “put a big push to put diversity into the FAA program” and ripped former President Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a “real winner” and a “disaster” who had “a good line of bulls—.”
The president cited articles that mentioned the FAA was prioritizing hiring folks with “severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website.”
“The FAA — another story — determined that the workforce was too white. They actually came out with a directive to white and we want the people that are competent,” he mentioned.
“You have to be talented, naturally talented — geniuses — you can’t have regular people doing that, won’t be able to do it, but I will restore faith in American air travel.”
Through the Q-and-A interval, Trump acknowledged, “We don’t know, necessarily, that it was even the controller’s fault” and likewise blamed the Black Hawk helicopter’s crew for not recognizing the aircraft.
Trump appeared with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance — who every gave temporary remarks with out taking questions.
“When you don’t have the best standards in who you’re hiring, it means, on the one hand, you’re not getting the best people in government,” Vance mentioned.
“But on the other hand, it puts stresses on the people who are already there.”
