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Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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Right-wing media exploit DCA plane crash to attack diversity policies

The push is the latest in the right's ongoing efforts to scapegoat women, minorities, and now people with disabilities following tragic incidents

Written by Gideon Taaffe

Published

After the January 29 mid-air collision between a commercial airliner and a military helicopter that left over 60 people dead, President Donald Trump baselessly insinuated that the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring policies could be responsible for the disaster — and right-wing media were quick to follow his lead. Fox News hosts said Trump’s “suspicion” to blame DEI was “fair” and claimed the crash was evidence that “DEI can be dangerous.” This latest example is yet another in a list of tragic incidents when right-wing media has used diversity policies as a boogeyman.

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  • Trump and his defense secretary blamed DEI for the plane crash

    • A commercial plane and an Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River Wednesday night, leading to 67 fatalities. The cause of the crash remains unclear as recovery teams continue to retrieve the victims and the aircrafts’ black boxes from the river. [NBC News, 1/31/25]
    • In a press conference the following day, Trump baselessly said “it just could have been” DEI hiring practices to blame for the disaster. When asked why he thought diversity had anything to do with the crash, Trump replied, “Because I have common sense. OK? And unfortunately, a lot of people don’t.” Trump also falsely denied that the hiring practices he criticized were in place during his first term. [The Associated Press, 1/30/25]
    • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made similar claims, declaring, “The era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department.” [CBS News, 1/30/25]
    • There is currently no evidence that the FAA’s hiring process led to the plane crash. CBS News reported: “It has been longstanding FAA policy — including before, during and after Mr. Trump's first term — to include people with disabilities in recruitment. However, there is no evidence that these initiatives have compromised air safety or had any relation to the crash Wednesday night.” [CBS News, 1/30/25]

  • Right-wing media followed Trump’s lead and claimed DEI was responsible for the tragedy

    • Fox News host Jesse Watters used the tragedy to say people should be “suspicious” that DEI plays a role in disasters. He continued to claim, “When DEI is in place, which it was at the FAA, standards get lowered, staffing's affected.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 1/30/25]
    • Jesse Watters Primetime guest Amber Smith used the crash to argue: “When people say DEI is deadly, it is not because it is some catchy phrase. It is because the reality of what happens when you change the standards — you lower the standards.” She also claimed, “It is mismanagement — the DEI aspect needs to get looked into because it focuses on people's feelings rather than people's lives.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 1/30/25]
    • On The Five, Watters agreed with Trump’s assessment that DEI played a factor in the crash. He claimed that air traffic control was “unable to meet their own DEI quotas, and that’s what is leading to staffing shortages.” [Fox News, The Five, 1/30/25]
    • Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said “it may not be right” to blame DEI, but the “suspicion” about it is “fair.” He claimed DEI “can be used to explain everything,” adding, “DEI is, indeed, under every rock because the Democrats put it there.” [Fox News, The Five, 1/30/25]
    • Fox prime-time host Sean Hannity linked the plane crash to “insane DEI directives.” He added, “It turns out that for years, Democrats were playing woke politics with our lives.” [Fox News, Hannity, 1/30/25]
    • On his radio show, Hannity said the D.C. crash shows “why DEI can be dangerous.” He asked, “Do we really want people in the FAA with psychiatric disabilities and intellectual disabilities?” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 1/30/25]
    • Fox News host Laura Ingraham defended Trump for connecting the mid-air collision to DEI, arguing, “He wasn't pulling that from thin air.” After showing a 2023 clip of the former FAA deputy administrator praising diversity among air traffic controllers, Ingraham asked, “Why does that have anything to do with confidence to secure our safety in the skies?” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 1/30/25]
    • Fox News host Will Cain claimed, “DEI is a policy that exacerbates human error.” He added, “We need to cut out every policy that allows for anything where we maximize the potential for human error.” [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 1/30/25]
    • Defending Trump’s comments, former GOP member of Congress and OAN host Matt Gaetz claimed that “for some time, I've been concerned about the risk associated with DEI impacting aviation safety.” He admitted, “It's important to acknowledge we don't know the cause of the collision.” [OAN, The Matt Gaetz Show, 1/30/25]

  • Right-wing media have a pattern of baselessly blaming DEI for tragedies

    • During his time as a Fox News commentator, Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed issues with Boeing planes on DEI. Duffy claimed, “This is a pilot problem. It brings everyone to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 3/8/24]
    • Right-wing media blamed the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on DEI by claiming the fire chief is an LGBTQ woman who supports DEI. Many right-wing commentators suggested that DEI should be spelled “DIE.” [Media Matters, 1/9/25]
    • Right-wing media responded to the March 2024 Baltimore bridge collapse by blaming DEI and immigrants. One right-wing pundit even joked about the tragedy calling it the “DEITANIC.” [Media Matters, 3/26/24]
    • After the New Years’ Eve New Orleans truck attack, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro claimed the police chief was a “DEI hire.” Pirro: “This is ineptitude at the highest levels, and her arrogance on top of her ineptitude makes her a candidate for being fired. Well, I think she's a DEI hire. But that's just me.” [Fox News, The Five, 1/3/25]
    • Right-wing media also attacked DEI for the Trump assassination attempt during the 2024 campaign. Some suggested that the Secret Service hiring women and placing an emphasis on diversity in the hiring process led to “unqualified agents.” [Media Matters, 7/15/24]