Donald Trump addressed the nation today in the wake of the tragic plane crash in Washington D.C. He linked the diversity hiring initiatives of previous administrations to the deadly incident.
Trump took to Truth Social this morning, stating that he'd been "fully briefed" about the tragedy and expressed his sympathy for those affected, calling it "an accident". Today, he delivered an address at the White House, and suggested that the diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.
"We do not know what led to this crash,” he said, “but we have some very strong opinions and ideas."
Trump blamed former President Joe Biden for lowering standards for air traffic controllers, citing his dedication to DEI initiatives. “Brilliant people have to be in those positions,” he said.
Trump highlighted a series of articles covering the FAA’s "diversity push," saying they were actively recruiting workers who “suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions.”
Trump included examples of some of the disabilities and conditions that are listed on the FAA’s website, including individuals missing extremities, paralysis, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism, among others.
He said: "'The FAA website states they include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism all qualified for the position of a controller of air planes pouring into our country, pouring into a little spot. A little dot on the map. A runway."
"We have to have our smartest people. It doesn't matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. What matters is intellect, talent. The word talent. They have to be talented geniuses," he continued. "We can't have regular people doing that job. They won't be able to do it."
The tragic incident comes just one week after the new president announced a rollback of these very Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, effectively freezing the hiring of air traffic controllers. Alongside the dismissal of the TSA and Coast Guard heads, he also dismantled a vital aviation security advisory group that conducted safety checks at airlines and airports, according to the Associated Press.
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