On Thursday, January 30, President Donald Trump gave reporters a live briefing on the fatal American Airlines crash with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C.
As the passenger plane neared Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on the evening of January 29, AA Flight 5342 struck a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. It is thought to be the deadliest aircraft accident since 2001, with 64 people on board and three soldiers on the helicopter.
Trump, 78, described the accident as “a tragedy of terrible proportions” and “a real tragedy” during the press conference. Before he finally got into a heated argument with reporters present during a Q&A, he claimed that the government’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and the mental health of its employees were to blame.