Buttigieg fires back at Trump after remarks on midair collision: ‘Despicable’

WASHINGTON — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hit back after President Trump criticized the Biden administration and diversity initiatives in the aftermath of a deadly midair collision outside Washington, D.C.

“Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. 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,” Buttigieg said in a post on social platform X. “President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again.”

Buttigieg’s comments came minutes after Trump concluded a press conference on the Wednesday night crash between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. About 60 people were believed to be on the jet, and authorities have said there are no survivors. Appearing before reporters in the White House briefing room, Trump knocked his Democratic predecessors over aviation standards, suggesting that the Democrats didn’t put safety first — and he suggested that diversity initiatives have weakened the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).