US President Donald Trump on Thursday responded sarcastically when asked if he would visit the plane crash site over the Potomac River in Washington, asking reporters, “You want me to go swimming?”
The deadly mid-air crash between a jet and a military helicopter took place on Wednesday night. The incident is presumed to have claimed all 67 lives on board. According to a report from CNN citing sources, more than 40 bodies have been recovered from the river as of Thursday afternoon.
When the reporters at the White House asked whether he would visit the site, Trump responded, “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?”
His comments were quickly condemned on social media, with many calling them insensitive and inappropriate in the wake of such a tragedy.
“67 people die under his watch, and he makes a joke? Callous, heartless, completely lacking in empathy,” one user wrote.
“We are such a profoundly unserious country sometimes,” another added.
Trump blames Biden, DEI programs
Despite the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash, Trump was quick to blame former President Joe Biden and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He signed an executive order titled “Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety,” arguing that DEI policies compromise competency in crucial roles.
“We want the most competent people,” Trump said. “We don’t care what race they are. We want the most competent people, especially in those positions. You’re talking about extremely complex things, and if they don’t have a great brain, a great power of the brain, they’re not going to be very good at what they do and bad things will happen.”
When pressed for evidence linking DEI policies to the crash, Trump admitted he had no specifics but insisted his belief was based on “common sense.”
Meeting victims’ families
Trump also announced plans to meet with families of the victims but did not specify when. “I will be meeting with some people that were very badly hurt with their family members, obviously, but I’ll be meeting with some of the families, yeah,” he said.
Meanwhile, recovery operations at the crash site were paused Thursday evening due to diminishing daylight and challenging conditions in the water. Officials indicated that further retrieval efforts might require removing aircraft parts from the river.