Less than a day after a fatal plane crash between a commercial jet and a military helicopter, President Donald Trump said at a press conference, without evidence, that diversity hires at the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) were to blame.
The passenger plane, leaving from Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport outside Washington D.C. at 9 p.m. local time. Both aircrafts plunged into the Potomac River following the crash. Officials have said they believe there were no survivors.
Midair collision outside Washington D.C.
An American Airlines flight and an Army helicoptor collided Wednesday night, crashing into the Potomac River below.
Trump suggested in Thursday’s press conference that standards for air traffic controllers had been too relaxed while also criticizing former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, claiming he had “run [the department] right into the ground with his diversity.”
The statements came a week after Trump signed an executive order to dismantle all diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI] initiatives nationwide. The order prompted a scale back of DEI-related programs at several large corporations — including Amazon, Meta and Ford — according to ABC and CNBC. In a “fact sheet” posted to the White House website on January 22, Trump criticized the FAA under Biden’s leadership, claiming the association selectively hired individuals with “severe intellectual” disabilities in the name of diversity and inclusion.
Here on campus, USC students and faculty berated Trump’s remarks. Anh Nguyen, a senior business administration major, said the statements made about DEI seemed to be part of Trump’s typical agenda.
“With all this DEI talk, [Trump] has been trying to pin a lot of the problems in the world towards minorities in his agenda to just get rid of minorities,” said Nguyen. “There’s been a lot of parallels with Trump and some previous regimes in the world…I think this is just one of the stepping stones he’s putting down, so then his MAGA followers will eventually be like, yeah, it’s all people of color’s fault.”
Shannon Bradley, the chief health equity, diversity and inclusion officer of Keck Medicine, said that the focus on DEI is a focus on improving the environment, decision making and capabilities of organizations.
Bradley said she thinks DEI work is valid, and will get done regardless of what it’s called. “We’re in one of the most diverse areas of the country, so it’s a necessity for us.”
Samantha Garibaldi, a sophomore majoring in business administration, shared this sentiment and said DEI had nothing to do with the cause of the plane crash. “Everybody deserves to feel a sense of humanity…DEI programs are key in training people and educating them about how to treat others with respect…it’s something that we should all strive to protect, especially here at USC,” she said.
In regards to Trump’s executive orders revoking DEI initiatives around the country, Garibaldi anticipates a rise of hate: “There’s even more hostility nowadays, and people aren’t going to care anymore about inclusivity. I think it’s going to create even more separation between everybody.”