Quotes
And he is saying with a lot of certainty that the blame is on DEI and the blame is in some ways on air traffic control and air traffic controller hiring.”
He later continued
But, frankly, the president is getting out ahead of his skis here,
Muntean told CNN host Pamela Brown after Trump’s chaotic briefing on the collision between a commercial passenger jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan National AirportI hate to get so upset here but this is something that investigators will really need to pick apart piece-by-piece. And that is going to take some really significant time,
Muntean notedIt is extremely inappropriate for the President to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda,
said Jess Davidson, a spokeswoman at the American Association of People with Disabilities
What he’s saying is you’ve had a giant failure, you’ve also had a diversity program, therefore the diversity program’s the cause of the failure,
said Alison Taylor, an associate professor at New York University’s Stern school of business focused on corporate responsibility and business ethicsIt is an utterly bad faith and stupid argument,
NYU’s Taylor saidThey actually came out with a directive too white and we want the people that are competent,
He added
We are now at a point where we're switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident,
Donnelly said in a news conference on ThursdayWe had a Russian contingent (on plane), some very talented people. Unfortunately, they were on that plane and we are very sorry about that. We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas. We will find out how this disaster occurred and we will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,
Trump addedSadly, there are no survivors. This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history and a tragedy of terrible proportions as we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly. This is really shaking a lot of people, including people from other nations,
Trump saidI don't know about you, but when I saw the news of the crash last night and just waking up this morning and watching the briefing, your heart just goes out – not only to the families who lost loved ones, but to everybody who was part of that,
she said
I'd have to see if the evidence is substantiated,
he told The Independent
They spent a lot of money renovating a system, spending much more money than they would have spent if they bought a new system for air traffic controllers, meaning the computerized systems. There are certain companies that do a very good job. They didn't use those companies,
Donald Trump said
An FAA employee I know confirms agency already lacks sufficient air traffic controllers,
he wrote
FAA employees with disabilities did not cause last night’s tragic plane crash. DEI hiring did not cause last night’s plane crash,
the organization saidAll disabled employees are required to be able to perform all essential job requirements without accommodations,
Ives-Rublee added, referencing an existing initiative created in the 1980s called Schedule A, which helps hire severely disabled people in the federal governmentThe [Federal Aviation Association] is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website,
Trump said Thursday at a press conferenceTrump should be looking to investigate the tragedy and provide comfort to the families, not punch down to advance his political agenda with zero evidence,
she said
It’s difficult to find words adequate to the moral abyss from which such a response at such a time could possibly come, ... No one resembling an actual human being could do this and say this.”
Schama wrote on X
This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones. We understand and appreciate the people are eager for information, please know that we will continue to share accurate and timely information as soon as we can, but anything we must report, must be accurate."
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video statement