Topline
President Donald Trump attacked the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies at a press conference following a fatal collision between an American Airlines plane and an army helicopter, though he did not provide evidence DEI was related to the crash, and these policies have existed for years—including during his first term.
Trump attacked the FAA’s diversity policies at a press conference after the collision. (Photo by … [+] ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Key Facts
Trump quoted the FAA’s now-deleted diversity, equity and inclusion page in a press conference, stating the FAA had committed to hiring people with “severe” disabilities because they are the “most under-represented segment” of the workforce, including those with “missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis,” and “epilepsy,” though he did not provide evidence anyone involved in the crash was disabled.
Though Trump blamed former President Joe Biden and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the FAA’s diversity website listed a commitment to hiring diverse and disabled candidates as early as 2013, according to the Internet Archive, and throughout Trump’s first term, according to Internet Archive captures from 2017 and 2019.
Trump also suggested people with disabilities are being hired as air traffic controllers, though the FAA clarified to Fox News last year it employs people for a “wide range of positions, from administrative roles to oversight and execution of critical safety functions,” all of whom must meet “rigorous qualifications.”
The FAA has also operated a program to boost hiring of candidates with disabilities, which also existed during Trump’s first term, according to FAA annual reports, and a 2023 report states the “participants must meet the same qualifications as any other applicants.”
What Did Trump Say At Thursday’s Press Conference?
Trump said the crash “could have been” caused by diversity hiring in response to a question from a reporter without providing evidence, though he acknowledged “we don’t know” and the investigation is ongoing. But Trump used the press conference to attack the FAA’s DEI policies, stating Buttigieg ran the Transportation Department “right into the ground with his diversity” and slammed the FAA for committing to hiring people with “severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.”
What Did Trump’s Faa Executive Order Do?
Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 22 eliminating policies he said “prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) over safety and efficiency” at the FAA. His executive order alleges “the Biden FAA specifically recruited and hired individuals with ‘severe intellectual’ disabilities,” and his executive order called for the FAA to pivot to “non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.” At Trump’s press conference Thursday morning, a reporter asked whether Trump’s executive order was successful because the crash happened after the order, to which Trump said “we’re in the process of making those changes.”
Key Background
Trump has made eliminating DEI a central focus of his first days in office. On his first day, Trump issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to drop their DEI programs and, days later, he signed another executive order directing the military, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security to ditch their DEI offices and policies. Trump’s DEI attacks have been accompanied by a series of companies rolling back their DEI programs, including Meta, Amazon and Target, though others, like Costco and Delta Airlines, have stood firm behind their diversity commitments.
News Peg
An American Airlines passenger plane and military helicopter collided midair outside Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. late Wednesday night, with no survivors among the 67 people on board, Trump confirmed at his press conference.
Tangent
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., also questioned whether DEI played a role in the fatal crash in an appearance on Fox Business Network this morning, though he did not provide evidence. Republicans have pointed fingers at DEI after other recent disasters, including the wildfires in Los Angeles and a truck driver crashing into a crowd of people in New Orleans. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., sent a letter to the FBI alleging “the Bureau has prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people,” days after the New Orleans attack.
