The president implied that the crash was caused by the FAA's recruitment of people with "severe intellectual disabilities" and "psychiatric problems."

President Donald Trump began his White House briefing with a moment of silence and a prayer for the victims of Wednesday’s crash at Reagan National Airport.

A midair collision near D.C. has raised concerns over FAA staffing, prompting scrutiny of air traffic control and aviation safety oversight.

Authorities declined to say what may have caused the deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night while the investigation is underway, even as President Trump and his allies sought to politicize the incident by blaming diversity efforts.

But within minutes, the “presidential” mirage dissolved. Trump unleashed an unusually appallingly rant, blaming the crash on Barack Obama, Joe Biden, former Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, DEI and people with disabilities.

"Shameful", reads the Daily Mirror's headline as it covers Donald Trump's blame for the Washington air collision on diversity hires. The paper calls it a "new low" for what is says is the deadliest air tragedy in the US since 2001. The paper quotes the former US transport secretary as saying: "Trump should be leading, not lying".

There is no evidence that diversity efforts played a role in the crash, and his statements disregarded his own administration’s hiring policies.

It's the first crisis of the 11-day-old Donald Trump's administration. The president claims the collision between the Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines could be blamed on DEI hiring policies.