1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,740 Tom, the investigation is just getting started here, but President Trump is facing criticism 2 00:00:04,740 --> 00:00:07,420 over claims that he's making about what caused the crash. 3 00:00:08,740 --> 00:00:12,920 That's right. Good morning from the White House, Marky. Look, this investigation is still very 4 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:18,000 much in its early stages right now, but President Donald Trump has used the occasion to once again 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:24,640 harshly criticize DEI initiatives, saying incompetence may be a reason behind why this 6 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:30,220 midair collision happened. Now, to be clear, the exact cause of this crash still remains unknown, 7 00:00:30,340 --> 00:00:35,100 but the president's saying that this situation could be a reflection of how the federal government 8 00:00:35,100 --> 00:00:43,380 needs to overhaul how it hires people. Mr. President, to be clear, are you saying race or gender played a 9 00:00:43,380 --> 00:00:49,060 role in this tragedy? It may have. I don't know. Incompetence might have played a role. We'll let 10 00:00:49,060 --> 00:00:54,380 you know that. But we want the most competent people. We don't care what race they are. We 11 00:00:54,380 --> 00:01:00,020 want the most competent people, especially in those positions. And you're talking about extremely 12 00:01:00,020 --> 00:01:06,800 complex things. And if they don't have a great brain, a great power of the brain, they're not 13 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:12,660 going to be very good at what they do and bad things will happen. President Trump made those 14 00:01:12,660 --> 00:01:16,960 comments after signing a pair of executive actions, including one launching an immediate 15 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:23,200 assessment of aviation safety, prioritizing what he calls competence. The president's saying he wants 16 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:28,700 to return a merit-based hiring. He's also called on the secretary of transportation as well as the 17 00:01:28,700 --> 00:01:36,340 FAA to review hiring decisions and any changes to safety protocols done under the administration of 18 00:01:36,340 --> 00:01:41,840 former President Joe Biden. He's even called the two groups to replace anyone who he deems 19 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:47,660 unqualified or they figure out to be unqualified. Marky? And Tom, the comments from President Trump 20 00:01:47,660 --> 00:01:51,540 yesterday have sparked outrage for some. Who are we hearing from on this? 21 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,360 Well, one of the most powerful voices on Capitol Hill. We're talking about House 22 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:01,900 Biden leader Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of Democrats over in the House. He had some big 23 00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:07,100 things to say against President Donald Trump in response to those DEI comments. He posted the 24 00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:12,280 social media, quote, bodies are still being pulled from the Potomac. The president and extreme 25 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:18,060 MAGA Republicans are blaming women and people of color for the deadly plane crash. At the same time, 26 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,680 they are dismantling the Federal Aviation Administration. In all those changes, though, 27 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:28,160 Congressman Jeffries mentioned happening at the FAA. President Trump named Chris Rushlow as the 28 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:34,720 acting administrator of the agency. Rushlow has over 20 years experience with the FAA. As acting head, 29 00:02:34,780 --> 00:02:41,720 he'll oversee air traffic control at airports and other operations aimed at keeping America's skies safe. 30 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:47,040 And we will note, too, that despite those criticisms of DEI and potentially incompetence 31 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,080 potentially playing a role in this crash, President Trump still vows that America's 32 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,440 skies are very much safe for flying. Marky? All right, Tom Dempsey, thank you so much. 33 00:02:55,560 --> 00:03:00,820 Thanks for watching, everybody. Go to joinnn.com to find NewsNation on your television provider. 34 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,600 Also, don't forget to click that red subscribe button below to get more of NewsNation's 35 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:07,520 fact-driven, unbiased coverage.