President Donald Trump speaks about the mid-air crash between American Airlines flight 5342 and a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Thursday. (Roberto Schmidt – AFP / Getty Images)
By Ole Braatelien January 31, 2025 at 4:30am
President Donald Trump slammed CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins at a news conference Thursday, in which Trump briefed the media about the Wednesday air collision in Washington, D.C.
Earlier in the conference, Trump criticized former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for their administrations’ woke hiring policies, suggesting they played a role in the crash.
“I put safety first; Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first,” Trump said.
He later cited verbatim the hiring parameters of the Federal Aviation Administration, which focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Several reporters threw pointed questions at Trump regarding his DEI comments specifically.
Among them was Collins.
“We don’t yet know the names of the 67 people who were killed, and you are blaming Democrats and DEI policies and air traffic control and seemingly the member of the U.S. military who was flying that Black Hawk helicopter,” Collins said.
“Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of the investigation right now?”
“No, I don’t think so at all,” Trump said. “You mean the names of the people that are on the plane? You think that’s going to make a difference?
“They are a group of people that have lost their lives. If you want a list of the names, we’ll be giving that very soon. We’re in coordination with American Airlines; we’re in coordination very strongly — obviously — with the military, but I think that’s not a very smart question. I’m surprised coming from you,” he said.
Trump to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “That’s not a very smart question — I’m surprised, coming from you.” pic.twitter.com/ZrIOICJ5tg
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 30, 2025
Just one week prior to the accident, Trump signed an Executive Order dismantling the FAA’s DEI hiring practices.
“This Presidential Memorandum orders the Secretary of Transportation and FAA Administrator to immediately stop Biden DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring,” the order read.
On Wednesday night, an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided over Washington, D.C., sending flaming debris into the Potomac River below.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the jet, while 3 soldiers were aboard the helicopter — a Sikorsky H-60.
None survived.
Ole Braatelien has written for The Western Journal since 2022. He earned his bachelor’s from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
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