Trump Fuels Crazy D.C. Plane Crash Theories With Insult to Army Pilots
It’s always ‘CONSPIRACY O’CLOCK’ in maga land.
President Donald Trump had more questions than answers in his first social post following a mid-air collision between a passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night outside of Washington, D.C.
The president had earlier confirmed via the White House that he been briefed on the situation, which saw a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collide with American Eagle Flight 5342, sending both careening into the frigid waters of the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport.
Though no officials have confirmed fatalities, dozens are believed to be dead and emergency services were on scene throughout the night battling the freezing temperatures to rescue or recover the 67 individuals in the air at the time.
Shortly after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump had been briefed, the president took to Truth Social to wildly speculate about the situation.
“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” Trump said. “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,” Trump continued. “NOT GOOD!!!”
Trump wasn’t the only one throwing weird questions out to the public at a time when very little is known about the incident.
Billionaire Bill Ackman took conspiracy theories to the extreme, claiming that the collision “sounds more like terrorism than an accident.”
How does an incredibly maneuverable military helicopter fly into a regional aircraft by accident with all of the sensors and warning devices designed to prevent an accident like this one?
It sounds more like terrorism than an accident. Perhaps an expert on Blackhawks can weigh… https://t.co/iTUQ6UzAzl— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) January 30, 2025
A senior FBI official with the Washington field office told NBC News, however, that there seems to be no indication that the crash was an act of criminality or terrorism.
In a press conference late Wednesday evening, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said authorities needed more time to focus on the rescue and recovery efforts: “All we can confirm tonight is the number of people on each aircraft. We can’t provide any more information on recovery efforts.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee suggested Thursday that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts could be to blame for a mid-air collision near Reagan Washington National Airport that was suspected of killing more than 60 people Wednesday night.
In an interview on Fox Business News, host Maria Bartiromo asked Ogles to react to the tragedy as a House Homeland Security Committee member.
"Well, you know, at this time, you hate to jump to any conclusions," Ogles said. "Obviously, we'll look at everything, check all the boxes."
"Prayers go out to all those impacted," he continued. "But, you know, to your point, I think you have to look at this with eyes wide open, see what happened. You know, human error, was it some sort of equipment failure? Did DEI play a role in this type of thing?"
"If this plane crash had happened four months ago, Trump would be insisting it was caused by DEI hires and blaming the Biden administration repeatedly, while the media credulously amplified the lies," said journalist Noah Berlatsky. "Making up claims like that is irresponsible and horrible, not least because it's painful for the families involved. It certainly seems like Ds could point out that Trump is gutting federal capacity, and that will lead to many more accidents like this one, though."
"I'm not blaming Trump for last night's crash but imagine if Biden fired 100 FAA officers a week prior to a plane crash," added the Krassentstein brothers, a pair of online influencers. "What would Fox News cover for the next two weeks?"
"The head of the FAA had imposed fines on Musk and SpaceX for violating air safety regulations," said Bluesky user DianaResists. "Musk forced the FAA head to resign because he 'over-regulated' air safety requirements. At the time of the Potomac plane crash Trump had not replaced the FAA Administrator."
"If Trump's freeze on federal funding caused the airplane crash in Wash DC, then Trump should be criminally investigated for murder," posted SiriusXM host Dean Obeidallah. "Same for Trump's Secty of Defense. Their actions appear to have killed Americans."
"This is not what the President of the United States should be doing right now. Not now," said former Republican congressman Joe Walsh. "And if you can’t understand why this is not what he should be doing right now, then I feel sorry for you. My God, he is such an utterly horrible human being."
"Dems should call for immediate hearings on what caused tonight’s plane crash, including the impact of the removal of FAA safety protocols and personnel," added Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand.
"The head of the FAA, Mike Whitaker, resigned on January 20 — one year into his 5 year term — after facing relentless criticism from Musk for not approving SpaceX missions quickly enough. The Senate confirmed him unanimously in 2023," said journalist Judd Legum. "No acting FAA head has been appointed. The FAA is currently subject to a hiring freeze and staff received an email, 'A fork in the road,' encouraging them to resign regardless of their job responsibilities."
"Think about this and how Fox and the GOP would politicize an Army helicopter crashing into a commercial airplane days after a Black woman president tried to gut air safety & installed the least qualified man ever as Defense Secretary," posted journalist and historian Garrett Graff. "THAT is the degree to which Dems should politicize this crash."
