Blaming diversity hiring for the Potomac midair collision, without evidence

On Jan. 29, 2025, an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport, killing all 67 people aboard. The next day, with bodies still being recovered, Trump suggested that diversity, equity and inclusion hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration under Democratic presidents had played a role, and cited FAA website language about hiring people with disabilities.

Reporters noted that similar language was on the FAA's site throughout his first term, and that anti-discrimination rules for people with disabilities are federal law. Controllers must also complete the FAA academy and pass medical, security and skills screening. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the top Democrat on the Senate aviation safety panel, said she had seen zero evidence connecting the crash to DEI.

Critics also pointed out that in his first days back in office the administration had removed the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a TSA advisory panel. PolitiFact found experts doubted that move had anything to do with the crash; blame, they said, should wait for the investigation.