CNN aviation correspondent on Trump's plane crash presser: “It is just unhinged that he could even say with any sort of certainty that diversity, equity, and inclusion policies had any part to play”
Pete Muntean: “What he has said is not only unprofessional, unpresidential, inconsiderate of the status of this investigation, but frankly, it is just unhinged”
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From the January 30, 2025, edition of CNN's Trump Confirmation Hearings
PAMELA BROWN (ANCHOR): President Trump speaking from the White House press briefing room after a brief moment of silence, he pretty immediately made this political blaming DEI, and the Democrats on that mid-air collision without providing evidence. He was a little bit all over the map talking about DEI policies and the FAA, but then questioning the helicopter and the altitude and why it didn't, in his words, "stop or make another move." I want to go to our experts, including our CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean and CNN's Rene Marsh. Pete, bottom line are DEI policies at the FAA to blame?
PETE MUNTEAN (CNN AVIATION ANALYST): I put my head in my hands, Pam, when the president said that. This is something that has been pushed by the far right for a few months now, that DEI policies are to blame for a degradation of safety in aviation in the United States, but frankly, the president is getting out ahead of his skis here. What he has said is not only unprofessional, unpresidential, inconsiderate of the status of this investigation, but frankly, it is just unhinged that he could even say with any sort of certainty that diversity, equity, and inclusion policies had any part to play in this accident. Remember that 67 people are dead. I hate to get so upset here, but this is something that investigators will really need to pick apart piece by piece. And that is going to take some really significant time. We're not even 24 hours after this crash. We're barely even 12 hours after this crash. And he is saying with a lot of certainty that the blame is on DEI, and the blame is in some ways on air traffic control, and air traffic controller hiring. I have to feel for the air traffic controllers in the tower at Reagan National Airport, who had to essentially sit there helplessly and make the call to first responders to say, we have a serious aircraft crash at 8:48 last night.