Trump Hits a New Low: Is He Deranged, Delusional, or Both?

What Happens When Leadership Fails in Critical Times

On January 30, 2025, tragedy struck over the Potomac River when an American Eagle passenger jet collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, killing all 67 people aboard.

This unprecedented collision—the first between a civilian passenger jet and a military helicopter in U.S. history—has left the nation in shock and mourning.

As search teams recovered bodies from the frigid waters of the Potomac and investigators began piecing together the causes of the crash, the nation turned to President Donald Trump for leadership.

Instead, they received a display of tone-deaf remarks, baseless accusations, and a shocking lack of accountability.

Trump's Response: A New Low in Leadership

In times of national tragedy, Americans look to their president for empathy and leadership. Historically, presidents have risen to such occasions, offering messages of unity and a commitment to uncovering the truth.

Trump, however, managed to turn the tragedy into a political spectacle, marked by his characteristic deflection and inability to take responsibility.

When asked if he would visit the crash site, Trump dismissed the idea with a sarcastic remark. “I have a plan to visit, not the site because — you tell me, what’s the site? The water?” he said to reporters at the White House. “You want me to go swimming?”

The comment, delivered with a smirk, was widely condemned as insensitive and emblematic of his lack of empathy.

Trump's press briefing quickly descended into a familiar mix of political attacks and baseless accusations.

He blamed the crash on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring policies at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), claiming without evidence that such programs had lowered safety standards.

However, the FAA's diversity hiring policies have been in place since 2013—spanning the entirety of Trump's first term as president.

When pressed on why he did not address these policies during his initial administration if he found them problematic, Trump falsely claimed he had changed them, though records show no evidence of such action.

An Unprecedented Memorandum of Blame

Trump's handling of the tragedy went beyond tone-deaf remarks and false claims. In an unprecedented move, he issued a presidential memorandum hours after the crash, blaming the Obama and Biden administrations for the disaster.

Titled “Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety,” the memo accused his Democratic predecessors of implementing "dangerous diversity equity and inclusion tactics" and claimed that these policies had "minimized merit and competence" at the FAA.

The memo was widely criticized as a blatant attempt to deflect blame. Civil rights groups condemned the president's actions, viewing the document as an attempt to advance a divisive political agenda in the wake of a national tragedy.

A Leadership Vacuum at the FAA

The tragedy has also brought renewed attention to the ongoing leadership crisis at the FAA, a problem Trump himself exacerbated.

On his first day in office, Trump froze the hiring of federal employees—including air traffic controllers. This decision, combined with years of underfunding by House Republicans, has left the aviation industry critically short-staffed.

A June 2023 report from the Department of Transportation Inspector General found that 77% of air traffic control facilities critical to the industry’s daily operations were understaffed.

On January 22, 2025, Trump further weakened aviation oversight by firing the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard.

That same day, members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee were informed that Trump would be cutting all advisory committees as part of what his administration called a “commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security.”

Critics argued this move gutted critical oversight and institutional knowledge that ensured aviation safety.

On January 20, 2025—just ten days before the crash—FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker resigned under pressure from Elon Musk.

The feud stemmed from SpaceX’s violations during two 2023 launches, including using unapproved facilities and rocket fuel, which resulted in $633,009 in FAA fines.

Despite the urgent need for leadership, Trump waited until after the crash to appoint Chris Rocheleau as acting FAA Administrator, leaving the agency without a head during a critical time.

A History of Safe Skies

Trump’s attempts to blame DEI policies and the Biden administration ignore the broader context of aviation safety in the United States, which has seen significant improvements under Democratic leadership.

The Obama administration ushered in a new era of aviation safety reforms, including stricter pilot training requirements and fatigue management rules following the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash in 2009.

These measures contributed to a dramatic reduction in fatal crashes over the following years.

While the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash in 2013 was a tragic exception, the administration’s policies laid the groundwork for one of the safest periods in U.S. aviation history.

The Biden administration continued this legacy, overseeing a period of zero fatal commercial airline crashes. Biden’s focus on modernizing air traffic control systems and addressing staffing shortages helped maintain the nation’s strong safety record.

By contrast, Trump’s failure to address staffing shortages exacerbated the problem. House Republicans repeatedly threatened to shut down the U.S. government, refusing to fully fund critical federal programs, including aviation safety initiatives.

Democrats ultimately prevented these shutdowns, funding essential programs with more Democratic than Republican votes.

Trump’s first term saw fatal incidents such as the Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 engine failure in 2018, and his second term has already been marred by the January 30, 2025 tragedy.

Conclusion: A Failure of Leadership in a Moment of Crisis

The Potomac collision is a tragedy that demands serious investigation and systemic reform.

Yet Trump's response has been characterized by deflection, division, and a refusal to take responsibility.

From his baseless attacks on diversity hiring policies to his unprecedented memo blaming his predecessors, Trump has shown once again that he views moments of national tragedy as opportunities for political scapegoating.

Trump's response to the Potomac collision isn't just deranged or delusional—it's a new low in a presidency defined by its inability to lead.

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Stay strong,
Samuel