President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Thursday to end diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in aviation and assess aviation safety following a midair collision.
On Wednesday night, an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people.
According to The Hill, the memo directs newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Christopher Rocheleau, who was appointed by Trump Thursday, to eliminate hiring practices that hinge on race or gender.
"In other words, competence," Trump said.
Asked if DEI hiring practices played a role in the deadly crash, the president said, "It may have. I don't know.
"We want the most competent people, no matter what race they are," Trump said. "If they don't have a great brain, a great power of the brain, they're not going to be very good at what they do."
The Hill reported that Trump said he was not aware of any job performance issues among those who were working the air traffic control tower at the time of the collision. When he was asked why he's raising the issue of DEI when he's not sure if it played a role, Trump said air traffic controllers have to be "brilliant."
"I don't like that the helicopter was at the exact same level as the airplane," he said, referring to the military Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the American Airlines passenger jet.
At a White House news conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also noted the level of the helicopter as a focus of the investigation.
"Tragically, last night a mistake was made, and I think the president is right: There was some sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating," Hegseth said.
During the briefing, Trump said there was "a pilot problem" when it came to the helicopter because "it was a very clear night" and "it had the ability to turn."
"The helicopter had vision of the plane," Trump said, but "for some reason, there weren't adjustments made," and "for some reason, it just kept going."
The president said he planned to meet with family members of the victims and said the names of the deceased — which include young people and figure skaters from several countries — would be released "at the appropriate time."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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