In a briefing that recalled his most extreme first term remarks, President Trump said without any evidence that diversity initiatives caused the midair collision.

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday sarcastically responded to a journalist's question on the deadly collision between a passenger aircraft and an Army chopper over the Potomac River in Washington DC.

During a White House briefing with reporters Thursday, President Donald Trump said weak DEI hiring policies in the FAA during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden likely led to Wednesday fatal crash over the Potomac.

Trump won't visit Washington DC plane crash site because it's 'the water' - The president said on Thursday he would be meeting with some of the families of victims of the tragedy, but did not specify

After briefly offering his sympathies to the families of those killed in the crash, and confirming there were no survivors, he pivoted to assigning blame for the tragedy - taking aim at his political

In the first national tragedy of his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump wasted no time Thursday baselessly blaming Democrats and diversity initiatives in the federal government for the midair collision that killed 67 people over the Potomac River.

Trump appeared to resume the role of blamer-in-chief in the aftermath of Thursday's fatal plane crash, surveying the tragedy as just another American citizen asking questions, rather than as the leader of a nation dealing with its first commercial air disaster in 15 years.

Trump repeatedly tried to tie diversity hiring practices to the crash during a briefing on Thursday as he also blamed the previous administration. “Are you saying this crash was somehow caused and the result of diversity hiring? And what evidence have you seen to support these claims?” a reporter asked Trump.

BREAKING NEWS: A passenger jet collided midair with a black hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River in a mass casualty event in Washington DC. Just last week, Trump FIRED the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, and… pic.twitter.com/211yDQ0I9l

An American Airlines flight crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a helicopter near the Reagan National Airport. President Trump and Vice President Vance have expressed condolences.

A midair collision near D.C. has raised concerns over FAA staffing, prompting scrutiny of air traffic control and aviation safety oversight.

President Donald Trump took the podium at Thursday's White House press briefing to address the deadly plane crash near Reagan National Airport Wednesday night. It is the first national tragedy the president has had to address in his second term.