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President Donald Trump addressed the nation today following a deadly crash between an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night."This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history," Trump said.The president stated that the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and U.S. military are investigating the incident."They shouldn't have been at the same height," Trump said.Trump and his administration shared several opinions on the cause of the crash."You had a pilot problem from the standpoint of the helicopter. I mean it was visual, it was a very clear night," Trump said."There was some sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating at the DOD and Army level," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.Trump also blamed, without evidence, the policies of former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, as well as diversity and inclusion hiring initiatives at the FAA."Because I have common sense, and unfortunately, a lot of people don't. We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level," Trump said.Democrats pushed back against Trump's comments."As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch," former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg posted on social media."It's one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracies, it's another for the president of the United States to throw out idle speculation," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Minority Leader.NTSB investigators were asked about the president's comments and said it is too early to determine the cause of the crash.Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined Trump in Thursday's White House briefing.
President Donald Trump addressed the nation today following a deadly crash between an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
"This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history," Trump said.
The president stated that the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and U.S. military are investigating the incident.
"They shouldn't have been at the same height," Trump said.
Trump and his administration shared several opinions on the cause of the crash.
"You had a pilot problem from the standpoint of the helicopter. I mean it was visual, it was a very clear night," Trump said.
"There was some sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating at the DOD and Army level," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Trump also blamed, without evidence, the policies of former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, as well as diversity and inclusion hiring initiatives at the FAA.
"Because I have common sense, and unfortunately, a lot of people don't. We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level," Trump said.
Democrats pushed back against Trump's comments.
"As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch," former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg posted on social media.
"It's one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracies, it's another for the president of the United States to throw out idle speculation," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Minority Leader.
NTSB investigators were asked about the president's comments and said it is too early to determine the cause of the crash.
Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined Trump in Thursday's White House briefing.
English (US)