Following the devastating midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Military Black Hawk helicopter, there has been a renewed emphasis on prioritizing meritocracy amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Conservatives have raised concerns regarding the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) standards for merit-based hiring of air traffic controllers.
The disaster occurred when the Black Hawk flew directly into American Airlines flight 5342 above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The collision sent the aircraft hurling into the Potomac River, where there were no survivors in a death toll of 67. In the aftermath of the crash, there have been calls to ensure the FAA is hiring the most competent air traffic controllers, a critical job for the safety of travelers.
President Donald Trump addressed the crash during a recent press briefing, in which he maintained that only the best air traffic controllers should be hired. “We have to have our smartest people,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. … They have to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses. Can’t have regular people doing their job. We can’t have regular people doing this job. They won’t be able to do it, but we’ll restore faith in American air travel.”
Similarly, Vice President JD Vance echoed this sentiment from Trump. “Something the President said that I think bears reemphasizing, which is that when you don’t have the best standards in who you’re hiring, it means, on the one hand, you’re not getting the best people in government, but on the other hand, it puts stresses on the people who are already there.”
Continuing, Vance said, “And I think that is a core part of what President Trump is going to bring, and has already brought to Washington DC, is we want to hire the best people, because we want the best people at aircraft control, and we want to make sure we have enough people in aircraft control who are actually competent to do the job.”
President Trump also criticized Democratic policies from the Obama and Biden administrations. “I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first,” Trump said. The FAA’s website states they include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism.”
Conservative commentators on social media have also weighed in on the discussion. Sharing a headline from the Washington Times that read, “FAA turned away qualified air traffic controllers based solely on race,” Phil Reed wrote, “DEI kills. 67 people lost their lives in DC last night because air traffic control was not adequately staffed. A helicopter flew into a commercial plane on a CLEAR NIGHT at an airport. Completely avoidable. Utterly incompetent
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Reed further criticized DEI in such a critical industry that involves the safety of millions. He continued in his post, “I fly often, dozens of times per year. This terrifies me. Stop telling me Trump was wrong. YOU were wrong, and group think rhetoric from millions just like you killed those people. Own that and dare to change your mind on your delusions.”
Watch Vance below: