Trump turns moment of national mourning into a push for his political agenda at plane crash press conference
Even though the investigation is ongoing and few details have been released, Trump quickly cast blame for the deadly midair collision that happened Wednesday night.
Just 11 days into his presidency, Donald Trump has been confronted with a national tragedy that claimed dozens of lives after a passenger jet carrying 64 people collided midair with an Army helicopter in the Washington, D.C., region Wednesday night.
His response bypassed the usual playbook that presidents typically follow after a tragedy, just as his campaign broke from political norms time and again.
Without waiting for a full investigation — or a list of the victims — the president began pointing fingers and going on the attack. Rather than using it as a moment to forgo political combat and and focus on the victims, he took the opportunity to push his agenda against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
His approach moved attention away from recovery efforts, victims and the investigation into the crash to a debate over one of his biggest political targets. And while Trump faced criticism for his handling of the moment, it was in line with how he has eschewed the way traditional politicians operate.
Trump quickly put out a social media post casting blame for the accident Wednesday night, before many facts were known.
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