President Donald Trump says he signed an executive order last week raising the qualification standards for air traffic controllers. (Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump noted that he had raised the qualification standards for air traffic controllers during his first administration, but he said President Joe Biden had lowered them once he left office.
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The president reinstated the higher standards last week with an executive order, he said.
"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, three years later, they announce it," Trump said, going on to detail an investigation including the FAA, Department of Defense and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Jan. 29 D.C. plane-helicopter collision map.
Later in the press conference, Trump criticized former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a "disaster.
"He's just got a good line of bulls--t," he said of the Democrat.
Reporters then pressed Trump on the facts of the crash, asking whether he had evidence that it was caused by incompetence due to DEI. Trump said the investigation is ongoing, but that "it could have been."
Buttigieg was quick to strike back on X, calling Trump's comments "despicable."
"As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying," Buttigieg continued. "We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch."
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Wednesday night's crash involved and American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. It collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter carrying three service members. Trump confirmed that there were no survivors.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
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