Trump insults the plane crash victims with every word
Donald Trump wants you to believe that the very thing that makes America such a great country – its diversity – could be partially responsible for the catastrophic events in Washington, D.C.
On Wednesday night, a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter, killing all 67 people on board both aircrafts.
Well my advice to anyone who saw his claims is – don’t believe him.
The President’s response to the mid-air collision over the nation’s capital was as shameful as it was predictable.
Before the dust had even settled, before the families had time to grieve – Trump declared in a typically freewheeling news conference, without providing evidence, that an increase in diversity at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) could be to blame.
Pressed on how he could say that, Trump doubled down, claiming the FAA hired unqualified people.
No evidence. No facts. Seemingly just a populist, knee-jerk culture war attack on diversity that, if taken seriously, may erode faith in air traffic control and potentially lead to fewer people joining the profession.
The reality is that there has been a shortage of air traffic controllers dating back years, and as of last May, there were around 3,000 fewer than needed.
This shortfall forces those who remain to work brutal shifts with minimal margin for error. That problem isn’t caused by diversity. It’s caused by working conditions, budget cuts, and there have already been a number of near-misses in recent years.
If Trump genuinely cared about aviation safety, he wouldn’t be attacking public servants. He would be answering for his administration’s failure to fill key FAA vacancies, for the weakening of airline safety regulations in favour of corporate profits, and for his refusal to acknowledge the long-standing air traffic controller shortage.
On Trump’s second day in office this year — just one week before this disaster — he fired the head of the Transportation Security Administration and sacked the entire Aviation Security Advisory Committee.
So, tell me again how this is the fault of diversity, or, as Trump puts it, the FAA daring to hire people with dwarfism or epilepsy?
Diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace isn’t about ticking boxes, it’s about making better decisions, and the FAA is a prime example of why it matters.
Some independent studies show that diverse teams challenge herd mentality, and improve problem-solving, which are crucial factors in high-stakes environments like aviation.
When former President Joe Biden implemented stricter DEI policies, the FAA broadened its air traffic control recruitment efforts and found itself able to tap into a wider pool of talent, which, in my view will have enhanced crisis management and communication strategies.
During the Biden-Harris administration, they even hit a 2024 hiring goal.
For anyone who’s only heard about DEI through right-wing attack ads and propaganda, I disagree – making your team more reflective of society is not about lower standards.
DEI policies simply expand the talent pool. That’s it – nothing more. There’s no conspiracy to take jobs away from white men, and there’s no plot for foreigners to rule the world, no matter what right-wing agitators say. It quite literally provides greater opportunity to a broader range of people.
Whether they’re air traffic controllers, safety inspectors, or pilots, those working in the aviation sector must all meet extraordinarily high standards. The only effect of increasing diversity is that more people – equally qualified – can enter the profession, and feel seen.
Despite this, around 70% of air traffic controllers are white, far higher than the general population.
Trump and his cronies don’t target diversity by accident; they target it because it works – because it threatens their outdated notion of who ‘belongs’ in positions of power.
Everything Trump says and does is, in my view, carefully designed to reinstate, reinforce, and promote America’s historical racial hierarchy.
The FAA’s lack of diversity stems from systemic barriers that people of colour, disabled people, women, LGBT+ individuals, and other minorities encounter daily. Their presence runs counter to what appears to be Trump’s ideal world.
So, the President’s DEI remarks aren’t merely wrong; they’re a shameful, unpatriotic insult to the people who lost their lives in this tragedy.
As usual, rather than waiting for the facts, Trump has exploited an accident to further his political agenda.
Rather than honouring the victims, he used their deaths as fodder for his same old hobby-horse campaigns. Rather than helping prevent future disasters, he’s actively pushing policies that may make them more likely.
This isn’t leadership. But then, it never has been with him. It’s yet another con job, designed to distract from the fact that whenever Donald J. Trump is in charge, things get worse.
The three letters that are the problem in America aren’t DEI – they are DJT.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
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