Trump Targets DEI Hiring Practices After Crash Near Reagan National Airport

Trump suggested the Biden administration’s diversity-based hiring practices were a factor in the deadly crash.

President Donald Trump speaks about the mid-air crash between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter in Washington, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Jan. 30, 2025. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Jan. 30 alleged that the midair crash that killed 67 people near Ronald Reagan National Airport was influenced by the Biden administration’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The accident—the deadliest U.S. plane crash since November 2001—occurred at around 9 p.m. on Jan. 29.