In the aftermath of a catastrophic midair collision that claimed 67 lives at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Donald Trump did what he does best - made it about himself.
Instead of showing the utmost respect to those families whose loved ones prematurely lost their lives at what could be human error, the US president instead looked to political points. During his briefing, Trump irresponsibly suggested that the crash was somehow linked to policies enacted by the Obama and Biden administrations.
Without a shred of evidence, he blamed “lower standards” in hiring air traffic controllers and claimed that he had previously implemented “extraordinary” standards that were later reversed by his predecessor. It wasn’t just reckless - it was reprehensible.
Trump has no facts to back up his assertions. No official has pointed to air traffic control or diversity hires as a contributing factor in the crash.
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Yet, before the victims’ families could even process their grief, Trump was standing behind a podium, using their tragedy as a political weapon. His comments were not just misleading - they were steeped in the same thickly veiled attacks on diversity that have defined his career.
He made it clear that, in his view, hiring efforts focused on inclusion inherently mean a decline in competence. He even cited articles that referenced FAA hiring initiatives for people with disabilities and dwarfism treating them as proof of systemic failure.
This wasn’t just an attack on the Biden administration; it was an attack on the very idea that America’s workforce should be diverse and representative. Trump’s words unmistakably implied that only a certain kind of person - presumably one fitting his narrow view of “superior intelligence” - should be entrusted with critical jobs.
It’s an argument as outdated as it is offensive.
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By making the disaster a referendum on diversity hiring, Trump did what he always does: shifting blame. Instead of focusing on real questions - such as whether the military’s training flight schedule contributed to the airspace congestion or whether communication protocols between civilian and military aircraft were adequate, he diverted the conversation to a culture war talking point.
It is an all too familiar pattern.
Rather than governing, Trump demagogues. Rather than leading, he divides. And rather than mourning, he exploits.
The families of the 67 victims deserve answers. What they don’t deserve is a president using their tragedy to stoke fear, peddle falsehoods, and score political points.
If anything is lowering standards in America, it’s Trump’s relentless attacks on common decency.