Washington: US President Donald Trump launched a scathing political attack on Thursday, blaming diversity hiring practices for the midair collision between an airliner and a military helicopter over Washington’s Potomac River. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

Speaking at a press conference, Trump confirmed the fatalities and cited pilot error on the military helicopter as a contributing factor to the nighttime collision. However, he primarily used the occasion to criticise what he described as “left-wing diversity practices” implemented during the administrations of his predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, that he claimed had compromised the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first,” Trump stated.

“They actually came out with a directive: ‘too white.’ And we want the people that are competent.”

The president delivered his remarks as rescue operations continued on the Potomac River. Police divers were still searching for more bodies in the icy water, with wreckage from the Bombardier jet operated by an American Airlines subsidiary partially visible at the surface.

The plane, carrying 64 passengers and crew, had collided with an army Blackhawk helicopter that had three soldiers aboard.

Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly announced that the operation was transitioning from rescue to recovery.

Rescue operations

“We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” he said. At least 28 bodies had been recovered by the time of Trump’s press conference.

The crash is the first major air collision in the United States since 2009, when 49 people died near Buffalo, New York.

Details of the collision

The collision occurred late Wednesday evening as the airliner was approaching Reagan National Airport after a routine flight from Wichita, Kansas. Reagan National Airport is a major hub located near downtown Washington and the Pentagon, with dense air traffic from both civilian and military aircraft.

Audio recordings from air traffic controllers captured dramatic moments before the crash, with repeated queries directed to the helicopter asking if it had the passenger jet “in sight.” Controllers advised the helicopter to “pass behind” the plane just moments before the collision.

Trump criticises diversity policies

While opening his press conference with an acknowledgment of the nation’s “anguish,” Trump quickly pivoted to criticise diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

“The air traffic controller said, ‘Do you see... Do you see him?’ But there was very little time left when that was stated,” Trump said, describing the incident as a “confluence of bad decisions.”

He added, “The helicopter was going at an angle that was unbelievably bad.”

Trump argued that such policies prioritised diversity over competence, leaving the FAA and other agencies without the most skilled personnel. “We want the people that are competent,” he reiterated.

The collision prompted an immediate response, with hundreds of rescuers battling darkness and floating ice to recover debris and bodies. Some debris was found up to a mile downriver.

Among the victims were several US skaters and coaches, according to US Figure Skating. Moscow officials confirmed that Russian skating champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, winners of the 1994 world pairs title, were also aboard the flight.

AFP