A mid-air collision between a commercial airliner and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., on January 29th, resulted in what is believed to be the deadliest U.S. major commercial aviation accident in 16 years. Authorities believe there were no survivors.
Sixty-four people were aboard the jet, and three military personnel were on the helicopter. Recovery efforts are underway in the Potomac River, the site of the crash.
This was President Trump’s first significant crisis to manage in his second term. Late Wednesday, his press secretary released a statement on X (formerly Twitter), expressing gratitude to first responders and stating he was fully briefed on the incident. He subsequently shared the same statement on his personal account.
“I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise,” Trump stated.
Shortly after midnight on Thursday, Trump posted another comment, expressing skepticism and suggesting the incident was preventable.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time,” he wrote. “It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”
On Thursday morning, Trump posted: “I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
Later, before 11:30 a.m., the President addressed the press in the White House briefing room, joined by Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Following a moment of silence, Trump discussed the crash timeline and reiterated that there were no survivors.
Trump stressed national unity and grief, mentioning his intention to contact the countries of origin of the international passengers, including Russian figure skaters.
“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, we’ll be working very, very diligently in the days to come,” he said. “In moments like this, the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all, both as Americans and even as nations, we are one family, and today we are all heartbroken.”
Subsequently, Trump criticized former Presidents Obama and Biden’s air traffic policies and focused on diversity within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Last week, on his second day in office, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the FAA, arguing that DEI “penalizes hard-working Americans who want to serve in the FAA but are unable to do so, as they lack a requisite disability or skin color.”
When questioned about evidence linking DEI policies to the crash, Trump responded that it “just could have been.” When asked if he was preempting the investigation, he disagreed.
“Because I have common sense,” Trump replied when asked how he concluded diversity played a role. “We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level when you have 60 planes coming in during a short period of time and they’re all coming in different directions.”
Trump further elaborated on his suspicions regarding the crash, again highlighting the clear night and potential pilot actions that could have prevented the collision.
“We don’t know that necessarily it’s even the controller’s fault, but one thing we do know: there was a lot of vision, and people should have been able to see that,” Trump said. “At what point do you stop at what point you say ‘wow that plane’s getting a little bit close,’ so this is a tragedy that should not have happened.”