On January 29, a domestic passenger flight collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, DC. The American Airlines flight carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while three military personnel were aboard the helicopter. An immediate search operation was launched and 30 bodies have been found so far. The authorities have confirmed that there are no survivors from the mid-air crash.
Immediately after the tragic accident, the White House released a statement on behalf of President Donald Trump that highlighted his attention and concern. It reads, “I have been fully briefed on the terrible accident which just took place at Reagan National Airport. May God Bless their souls. Thank you for the incredible work being done by our first responders. I am monitoring the situation and will provide more details as they arise.”
However, he then took to his official Truth Social account and began making wild speculations. In his post, he wrote, The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing. why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
One would be wrong if they were to think that President Trump stopped there as he seemed to throw off his presidential hat in Thursday’s morning press conference, instead opting to don the role of a conspiracy theorist. What’s worse, you ask? While the bodies of the deceased are being recovered, the newly elected president is busy playing the blame game.
Targeting the opposition, he said, “I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody’s ever seen. They actually came out with a directive: ‘too white.’ And we want the people that are competent.”
Trump: “When I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first. And they put politics at a level that nobody has ever seen, because this was the lowest level. Their policy was… pic.twitter.com/oxnMivhwEX
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2025
He then went on to suggest that diverse hiring could be the reason for the crash. Trump said, “It just could have been.”
When questioned how he could come up with such a conclusion, he replied, “Because I have common sense. OK? And unfortunately, a lot of people don’t. We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level.”
As Trump dragged Barack Obama, the latter chose to ignore him and focus on what really matters at this moment, that is, handling the tragedy with composure and showing compassion to the people who have lost their loved ones.
He took to his X account and wrote, “Our hearts break for the families who lost loved ones in the tragic plane and helicopter crash at DCA. Michelle and I send our prayers and condolences to everyone who is mourning today, and we’re grateful to the first responders who are doing everything they can to help under extremely difficult circumstances.”
Our hearts break for the families who lost loved ones in the tragic plane and helicopter crash at DCA. Michelle and I send our prayers and condolences to everyone who is mourning today, and we’re grateful to the first responders who are doing everything they can to help under…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 30, 2025
Obama avoided pointing fingers at the Republicans and focused on the tragic loss that took place under their watch. An X user wrote, “THIS is what a REAL President sounds like!”
THIS is what a REAL President sounds like!
— JB Thinkin (@JBThinkin) January 30, 2025
“It’s been 8 years and I still miss having him as POTUS every day,” wrote another user. However, some even felt that Obama’s words were “useless.” Criticizing Obama, someone said, “Offering useless thoughts and prayers instead of trying to figure out why it happened? Sounds about right.”
A fan came out in defense, “Your hero went all conspiracy theory and started throwing the blame around without knowing a single FACT. The Obamas have a perfectly decent response. DJT ought to try it sometime.”
With this new debate, the tragedy has now, sadly, become all about politics.