Trump jumps right to the blame game over DC midair collision that left dozens dead

In the first national tragedy of his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump wasted no time Thursday baselessly blaming Democrats and diversity initiatives in the federal government for the midair collision that killed 67 people over the Potomac River.

In the first national tragedy of his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump wasted no time Thursday baselessly blaming Democrats and diversity initiatives in the federal government for the midair collision that killed 67 people over the Potomac River. The investigation is in its earliest stages, but Trump’s speculation was not. “I have common sense, OK?” Trump said when pressed what evidence he had to give credence to the blame he piled on the Biden and Obama administrations. “Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t.” It was the first time since returning to power that Trump stood in the White House briefing room to address the nation. He called the moment “an hour of anguish for our nation,” but he abruptly pivoted to a familiar script that played out during his first four years in office. Shortly after the president declared there were “no survivors,” he pointed the finger of blame to his old political rivals, suggesting diversity initiatives led to lax aviation standards that contributed to the crash. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy echoed his view. “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” Trump said. “I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary, you remember that. Only the highest aptitude, they have to be the highest intellect and psychologically superior people, were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers.”