Trump attacks DEI policies after DC plane crash, says FAA employees must be held to 'highest standards'

"We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system," Trump said. "Only the highest aptitude - you have to be the highest intellect - and psychologically superior people, were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers."

"We have to have our smartest people. It doesn't matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. What matters is intellect, talent. The word 'talent.' They have to be talented geniuses," he continued. "We can't have regular people doing that job. They won't be able to do it."

Trump later attributed the crash to a "confluence of bad decisions that were made."

Trump noted that he had raised the qualification standards for air traffic controllers during his first administration, but he said former President Joe Biden had lowered them once he left office.

The president reinstated the higher standards last week with an executive order, he said.

Trump went on to highlight a series of articles covering the FAA's "diversity push" that he said occurred prior to him taking office.

"The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website," he said.

While that language was present on the FAA's website during the Biden administration, it was also present during Trump's first administration.

When asked for comment on the initiative last year, including what roles people with disabilities would fulfill, the FAA told Fox News Digital that the agency thoroughly seeks and vets qualified candidates "from as many sources as possible" for a range of positions.

Later in the press conference, Trump criticized former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a "disaster."

"He's just got a good line of bulls--t," the president said of the Democrat.

Reporters then pressed Trump on the facts of the crash, asking whether he had evidence that it was caused by incompetence due to DEI. Trump said the investigation is ongoing, but that "it could have been."

Buttigieg was quick to strike back on X, calling Trump's comments "despicable." 

"As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying," Buttigieg continued. "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."

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.