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Home » Transcript: President Trump Addresses DC Plane Collision Incident

Transcript: President Trump Addresses DC Plane Collision Incident

Read the full transcript of President Donald Trump’s address after an American Airlines plane collided with a Black Hawk helicopter.

Listen to the audio version here:

TRANSCRIPT:

Opening Remarks

DONALD TRUMP: I’d like to request a moment of silence for the victims and their families, please. Thank you very much.

I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation. Just before 9 PM last night, an American Airlines regional jet carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew collided with an Army Blackhawk helicopter carrying 3 military service members over the Potomac River in Washington, DC while on final approach to Reagan National Airport. Both aircraft crashed instantly and were immediately submerged into the icy waters of the Potomac.

Real tragedy. The massive search and rescue mission was underway throughout the night, leveraging every asset at our disposal. And I have to say, the local, state, federal, military, including the United States Coast Guard in particular, they’ve done a phenomenal job. So quick, so fast. It was mobilized immediately.

The work has now shifted to a recovery mission. Sadly, there are no survivors. This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history and a tragedy of terrible proportions. As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us, so suddenly. And, we are a country of really, we are in mourning.

This is really shaking a lot of people, including people, very sadly, from other nations who were on the flight. For the family members back in Wichita, Kansas, here in Washington DC, and throughout the United States, and in Russia, we have a Russia contingent of very talented people. Unfortunately, we’re on that plane. Very, very, very sorry about that. Whose loved ones were aboard the passenger jet.

We can only begin to imagine the agony that you’re all feeling. Nothing worse. On behalf of the first lady, myself, and 340,000,000 Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours, and our prayers are with you now. And in the days to come, we’ll be working very, very diligently in the days to come. We’re here for you to wipe away the tears and to offer you our devotion, our love, and our support.

There’s great support. In moments like this, the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all, both as Americans and even as nations. We are one family, and today, we are all heartbroken. We’re all searching for answers. That icy, icy Potomac or is it cold, cold night, cold water.

We’re all overcome with the grief for many who have so tragically perished will no longer be with us. Together, we take solace in the knowledge that their journey ended not in the cold waters of the Potomac, but in the warm embrace of a loving god.

Investigation and Administrative Actions

We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we’ll probably state those opinions now. Because over the years, I’ve watched as things like this happen, and they say, well, we’re always investigating. And then the investigation 3 years later, they announce it.

We think we have some pretty good ideas, but we’ll find out how this disaster occurred, and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. The FAA and the NTSB and the US military will be carrying out a systematic and comprehensive investigation. Our new secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, his second day on the job when that happened. It’s a rough one. We’ll be working tirelessly.

He’s a great gentleman. The whole group is these are great people, and they are working tirelessly to figure out exactly what happened. We’ll we will state certain opinions. However, I’m also immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the FAA, Christopher Rocheleau, a 22 year veteran of the agency, highly respected. Christopher, thank you very much.

[CHRISTOPHER ROCHELEAU]: Appreciate it.

DONALD TRUMP: We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system. I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary. You remember that. Only the highest aptitude, they have to be the highest intellect and psychologically superior people, were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers.

That was not so prior to getting there when I arrived in 2016. I made that change very early on because I always felt this was a job that and other jobs too, but this was a job that had to be superior intelligence. And, we didn’t really have that, and we had it. And then when I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. I put safety first.

Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody’s ever seen because this was the lowest level. Their policy was horrible, and their politics was even worse. So as you know, last week, long before the crash, I signed an executive order restoring our highest standards for air traffic controllers and other important jobs throughout the country. So it was very interesting. About a week ago, almost upon entering office, I signed something last week that, was an executive order very powerful on restoring the highest standards of air traffic controllers and others, by the way.

Then my administration will set the highest possible bar for aviation safety. We have to have our smartest people. It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. It matters intellect, talent, the word talent. You have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses.

You can’t have regular people doing that job. They won’t be able to do it. But we’ll restore faith in American air travel. I’ll have more to say about that. I do wanna point out that, various articles, that appeared prior to my entering office.

And, here’s one. “The FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.” That is amazing.