Donald Trump said sarcastically: “Do you need to swim?” The journalists asked him if it would be the fatal plane crash near Washington DC.
Authorities have given up hope of finding any survivors among the 64 passengers and crew on a doomed American Airlines flight which collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, killing the three military personnel on board.
The president of the United States asked if he met some of the families of the victims after the tragedy of the Ronald Reagan airport on Wednesday night.
When asked about his plans to travel to the scene, he replied: “I have a plan to visit, not the site.
“Because you tell me, what’s the site? The water? You want me to go swimming?”
His “callous” comments were condemned on social media.
At the White House on Thursday, combative Trump variously pointed the finger, without evidence, at diversity hiring that he claims lowered standards for the crash.
He also blamed the helicopter pilot, his predecessor Joe Biden and the Democrats, adding the former Secretary of shipping Pete Buttigieg, whom he described as “disaster. ” Buttigieg responded by calling Trump “despicable. “
The cause of the accident is still unknown and investigators have not identified who might have been responsible.
Divers paused their search efforts in the Potomac River due to dangerous conditions in the water but have recovered the flight data recorders, also known as black boxes, from the American Airlines jet.
The National Transportation Safety Board said an initial report will be in 30 days.
Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash, allowing that “it just could have been”. He defended saying so “because I have common sense”.
“We don’t know what led to this accident, but we have very strong opinions,” Trump said.
We do not know how this crusade would have had an effect on the ranks of air traffic controllers, which, according to Trump, should be “naturally talented geniuses. “
The Federal Aviation Administration has more than 35,000 employees, of which a fraction plays this role.
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