Trump Disbands Key Aviation Safety Committee Prior to Fatal DCA Plane Crash
As investigations into the deadly airline collision continue, it’s worth examining Trump’s pre-crash negligence, along with the latest reckless moves from Republicans
It didn’t take long before Donald Trump started spreading conspiracy theories about the root cause of what appears to be the deadliest commercial airline crash since 9/11.
For starters
Trump implied that the control room and/or helicopter pilot was to blame for the fatal DCA crash — despite no evidence and no investigation whatsoever.
Here’s what the President of the United States posted at midnight ET on Truth Social: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. 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!!!”
This is who Americans are supposed to look to for guidance, comfort, and leadership during times of crisis.
Instead…
Trump is probing the helicopter pilot’s decisions and challenging the control room operators — suggesting there was foul play before investigators have had a chance to speak on the matter.
He is so un-presidential it hurts.
Here’s what we do know
In the first week of his presidency, Trump disbanded a key Aviation Safety Committee, fired the head of TSA, and axed the head of the US Coast Guard a week prior to last night’s aircraft collision.
“The committee…won’t have any members to carry out the work of examining safety issues at airlines and airports.”
Can’t draw any conclusions from this, but to steal a phrase from Trump, it’s “not good!”
That’s not all
Trump also imposed a freeze on air traffic control hiring, which a Democratic ranking member on the House Committee on Transportation called a “dangerous and divisive action.”
Not to mention
The FAA director Mike Whitaker resigned from his post after facing pressure from Elon Musk — who didn’t like that Whitaker had imposed fines on SpaceX for regulatory violations.
What this means
Thanks to Musk and Trump, there is no current Senate-confirmed FAA director during one of the most severe airline casualties of the decade.
Surreal timing, I’d say.
So
While the President of the United States is out here suggesting military pilots and control rooms are to blame without a lick of evidence, the only thing we know for certain is that Trump has signed executive orders that unequivocally limit airline personnel and impact airport safety protocols, while shadow president Musk forced the head of the Federal Aviation Administration into resignation.
It gets worse
If you thought Trump’s negligent actions leading up to the deadly plane crash were bad, the latest moves from Republicans are nothing short of reprehensible: