CV NEWS FEED // President Donald Trump addressed Americans and the international community in a press briefing after the crash of a passenger airplane and a Black Hawk helicopter in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.
The President later signed a Presidential Memorandum titled “Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety,” as a response to the lower hiring standards for air traffic controllers that the Biden administration instituted in order to pursue diversity, equity, and inclusion.
President Donald J. Trump signs a Presidential Memorandum ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety to ensure the damage resulting from the Biden administration's obsession with DEI is undone pic.twitter.com/Avy618SVLB
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 30, 2025
The memorandum orders that the Secretary of Transportation and acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) director assess the competency of FAA workers.
President Trump began the briefing with a moment of silence for the victims, and stated, “I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation.”
The President thanked federal and local first responders for their work and announced that there were no survivors of the crash.
He then addressed the family members of those “whose loved ones were aboard the passenger jet, we can only begin to imagine the agony you’re all feeling. Nothing worse.”
He added, “On behalf of the first lady, myself, and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours, and our prayers are with you now and in the days to come.”
The President said, “In moments like this, the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite as all, both as Americans and even as nations.”
He added, “Together we take solace in the knowledge that their journey ended not in the cold waters of the Potomac, but in the warm embrace of a loving God.”
The President announced that he was immediately appointing Chris Rocheleau as the acting director of the Federal Aviation of Administration (FAA). Former FAA chief Michael Whitaker stepped down on Jan. 20, according to Reuters.
Trump also criticized the Biden administration’s changes to eligibility rules for air controllers, noting that under Biden’s presidency, the role was opened to those with severe intellectual, physical, and psychological disabilities, as part of the FAA’s diversity hiring efforts.
Trump stated that the job, which is highly stressful to the point of shortening the lives of those who perform it, should only be open to highly intelligent, psychologically healthy people. He added that last week he signed an executive order restoring high standards to jobs such as air traffic controllers.
He then discussed the accident itself, repeating that “it should not have happened.”
He noted that it was a very clear night, and that the helicopter and the plane were at the exact same elevation. He stated that recordings indicate that by the time the air traffic controller warned the helicopter of its proximity to the plane, there was very little time left.
He said the controller told the helicopter to “follow them in,” indicating that everything was fine, and the crash occurred seconds later.
“We had a situation where you had a helicopter that had the ability to stop,” the President continued. He said that “it had the ability to go up or down, it had the ability to turn, and the turn it made was not the correct turn, obviously. It did somewhat the opposite of what it was told.”
He said that even if the helicopter had followed the controller’s directions, however, it might not have made a difference as the directions were given seconds before the crash.
He promised that investigations were already underway, and that the case would be solved as soon as possible.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Vice President J.D. Vance each spoke at the briefing, re-emphasizing Trump’s commitment to hiring highly capable professionals and thanking the President for his leadership.