3 hours ago
During a White House press briefing, a journalist asked Trump about his plans to visit the site of the deadliest US air disaster in two decades. The President dismissed the idea, quipping, "You want me to go swimming?"
US President Donald Trump speaks as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday. (AP photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 31, 2025 13:03 IST
US President Donald Trump responded sarcastically when asked if he would visit the site of a deadly collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington DC.
During a White House press briefing on Thursday, a journalist asked Trump about his plans to visit the site of the deadliest US air disaster in two decades.
Trump swiftly replied, "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?"
What a nasty piece of shit:
Reporter: “Do you have a plan to go visit the site?”
Trump: “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?”
pic.twitter.com/o57CmPv0Zj — CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) January 30, 2025
The crash occurred on Wednesday night when an American Airlines jet collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington Airport. There were 64 people on the plane and three military personnel in the chopper, all of whom are presumed dead.
Visuals showed the plane erupting into a fireball after the helicopter struck it, with both aircraft plummeting into the Potomac River. Officials said there are expected to be no survivors, and as of Thursday evening (local time), 40 bodies had been recovered from the freezing waters of the river.
Trump said he would meet with some of the victims' families. Asked whether he planned to meet with first responders, the President said, "I don’t have a plan to do that."
“But I will be meeting with some people that were very badly hurt — with their family member, obviously, but I’ll be meeting with some of the families,” he added.
At a press briefing earlier in the day, Trump linked the crash to diversity hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the Obama and Biden administrations, although no investigative findings into the crash had been released. He provided no specifics or evidence to support the claim.
On Thursday, Trump signed two executive orders, appointing a new FAA deputy administrator and ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety.
Meanwhile, investigators recovered two black boxes from the American Airlines plane, along with the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. A preliminary report about the incident is expected within 30 days.
Published By:
Devika Bhattacharya
Published On:
Jan 31, 2025
