Donald Trump has shared a briefing following the tragic American Airlines plane crash in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night.
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American Airlines flight 5342 was on its approach to Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Blackhawk military helicopter conducting a training exercise.
The flight had 60 passengers on board, along with four crew members, while the helicopter had three soldiers on board.
The wreckage plunged into the Potomac River and an immediate rescue attempt was conducted.
Speaking to press at an official briefing, President Trump began with a moment of silence before saying: “I speak to you now in a moment of anguish for our nation.”
Addressing the “real tragedy”, Trump praised the local, state, and federal military for the “phenomenal job” they’d done to begin the search and rescue mission which is now a recovery mission.
He also confirmed there were no survivors.
Addressing the collective grief the country feels, he added: “We are one family and today we are all heartbroken.”
He also vowed that a thorough investigation would find out the reason for the tragic crash.
President Trump added that the White House has “strong opinions” of what led to the midair crash, adding; “We think we have some pretty good ideas, but we’ll find out how this disaster occurred, and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”
He also blamed the DEI policies which were implemented after his last term in office, under former President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration.
Trump told the reporters: “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system. I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary.”
Among those on board were members of the U.S. Figure Skating community.
“These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement to CNN.
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
President Donald Trump had earlier reacted to the tragedy, calling it a “bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated: “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.
“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?”
Trump concluded: “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has assured Americans that they have the “safest airspace in the world”.
He further added that the plane and helicopter were in communication with each other, and added: “I would say the helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area.”
Work is now underway to reunite the bodies of the victims with their loved ones.
Our thoughts continue to be with all of those affected by this tragedy.
