The tragic events in Washington Wednesday night, when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, were still being pieced together by the following morning.
However, as the first major tragic news event of Donald Trump’s second time in office, it reminded many observers of how strangely Trump, as president, reacts to news events.
As of Thursday morning, it was believed that all aboard both aircraft had perished. Trump was expected to address the tragedy from the White House briefing room on Thursday.
However, those won’t be Trump’s first comments on the crash. He had a whole post on Truth Social about it on Wednesday night:
“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,” Trump said in the post. “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!!!”
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
This drew a rebuke from Amy McGrath, the former Democratic Senate candidate from Kentucky:
This is not what our president should be doing or saying right now. pic.twitter.com/fzsXHHwYMl
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) January 30, 2025
Trump, in the early days of his presidency, gutted the leadership of the airline safety apparatus. Per The Daily Beast, Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Whitaker was forced to resign on January 20, months after Elon Musk had demanded he quit. The heads of the TSA and Coast Guard were also removed in the early days of the Trump presidency.
This reminded many people of how Trump reacts to news events, even as president. He’s the president of the United States. He has access to classified briefings and all sorts of non-public information. Nevertheless, he reacts to breaking news like a private citizen, following the events on TV like everyone else.
That is how quite a few people reacted to the reaction:
Donald Trump’s reaction to the Potomac plane crash by screaming NOT GOOD in all caps is yet another reminder why he is unfit for the presidency. No grieving. He’s just ready to spin conspiracy theories and lay blame. It’s why his approval ratings will plummet soon enough. pic.twitter.com/ocxSCir4Qk
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) January 30, 2025
Trump’s reaction to the crash last night was that it could have been prevented. Really? If that is true it would have been prevented. You know what could have been prevented? The deaths of 1 million people from Covid due to Trump’s mismanagement.
— Henry M. Rosenberg (@DoctorHenryCT) January 30, 2025
Blame, blame, blame, all without facts.
If this happened under Biden, Trump would be blaming Pete Buttigieg.
You know it. I know it. We all know it.
Instead, let’s take a moment to respect and honor the lives lost. And let’s get to the bottom of what happened so that it… pic.twitter.com/q4mcht195C
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) January 30, 2025
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.