Donald Trump responded with sarcasm when asked if he would visit the site of the fatal plane crash over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Speaking at the White House, he quipped, “You want me to go swimming?”
On Thursday, Trump stated that he planned to meet with some of the victims’ families following the crash at Ronald Reagan Airport the previous night, where all 67 people on board were presumed dead. However, when questioned about visiting the crash site, he dismissed the idea, saying, “I have a plan to visit, not the site. Because you tell me, what’s the site? The water? You want me to go swimming?”
His remarks quickly sparked backlash online, with critics calling them insensitive. One social media user wrote, “67 people die, and he makes a joke? Callous, heartless, and completely lacking empathy.” Another added, “We are such a profoundly unserious country sometimes.”
Trump made these comments while signing an executive order titled “Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety.”
Earlier in the day, he blamed the crash on Joe Biden and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, arguing that hiring should be based solely on competence. “We want the most competent people,” he stated. “We don’t care what race they are. If they don’t have a great brain, bad things will happen.”
Trump made these claims before any official investigation results were released and provided no evidence.
When pressed on why he believed DEI was responsible, he said it “could have been” and justified his stance by saying, “I have common sense.”
Meanwhile, recovery efforts continued in the Potomac River. By Thursday afternoon, over 40 bodies had been recovered, according to CNN. Dive operations were halted for the day due to lighting conditions and challenges retrieving victims without removing parts of the wreckage.
