McClellan: 'Outrageous' for Trump to blame DEI policies for fatal air crash

Rep. Jennifer McClellan is calling President Donald Trump’s claims that his predecessors’ diversity policies are to blame in part for Wednesday night’s crash between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people "outrageous," accusing Trump of using DEI as a scapegoat to push partisan policies through. 

“I think it’s outrageous to make a statement like that while authorities are still pulling remains from the [Potomac] river,” McClellan, D-Virginia, told The Progress-Index in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. McClellan, the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress, said the focus should be on supporting the recovery efforts “and not blaming Black people and women.” 

Wednesday night, an Army Black Hawk helicopter stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, collided mid-air with an American Airlines jet landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The crash sent both aircraft into the icy Potomac River. All 67 passengers on both the helicopter and the flight from Wichita, Kansas, are believed dead.

USA TODAY reported Thursday that Trump, speaking to reporters in the White House on the tragedy, blamed without corroboration the Democratic administrations of Barack Obama – the person Trump followed into the White House in 2017 – and Joe Biden for promoting diversity, equality and inclusion practices over merit across civil service, including air-traffic controllers. 

In his first term, Trump claimed he undid Obama policies to allow “only the highest aptitude, the highest intellect, and psychologically superior people” to qualify for air-traffic controller positions. 

"I always felt that this was a job that had to have superior intelligence,” Trump told reporters. Asked to back up his statements with proof, the president responded, “I have common sense.” 

“It’s irresponsible to blame anything or anyone right now,” McClellan said. “That does a disservice to the lives that were lost.” 

McClellan: Questioned his capability ‘for the past nine years’ 

Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has targeted DEI in many of the executive orders he has issued to reverse what previous presidents have done. On Thursday, the White House released a copy of Trump’s latest order directing the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to review all hiring decisions and safety protocol changes during Biden’s term of office and take “corrective action as necessary to achieve uncompromised aviation safety, including the replacement of any individuals who do not meet qualification standards.” 

Instead of “placating to his political base,” McClellan said Trump should seize on the opportunity to unify the nation behind the victims, their families and the recovery operations. During national tragedies, the president is often referred to as the “Comforter-in-Chief" since people tend to look to Washington for words of comfort. 

Asked if she thinks Trump is using DEI as a scapegoat for not only Wednesday’s crash but also his other executive orders, McClellan replied, “He is.” 

McClellan was in her district Wednesday, but said she planned to return to Washington Thursday night and hoped to get a chance to see the crash site for herself. 

“Our focus should be on doing our jobs though this tragedy,” she said. “We need to be making sure we do everything to stop this president from hurting our constituents.” Asked if his latest comments raise red flags about Trump’s mental capacity to serve as president, she said yes, but that could come at a later time. 

“I’ve been raising questions about his capability for nine years now,” she said. 

Fellow Democrats join in 

Some of McClellan’s Democratic colleagues in Virginia also weighed in on Trump’s claims. Sen. Mark Warner called it “unfortunately typical” of the president to pull politics into the issue. 

“President Trump’s first response to this tragedy is to hurl baseless attacks, rather than focus on the investigation at hand,” Warner said in a statement to The Progress-Index. “I’m continuing to think of the 67 lives lost last night and am working to get to the bottom of how this happened, and how we prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.” 

Warner and fellow Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine visited the crash site Thursday morning. 

In his own statement to The Progress-Index, Kaine said his thoughts are on the families of the victims. 

“President Trump’s attempt to politicize the tragedy, with no facts to back up his claims, could not have been more insensitive to suffering families still awaiting the recovery of their loved ones,” Kaine said. 

Governor: ‘State of shock’ 

In an interview on Fox News, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Thursday he had spoken with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, and “she, like me, was in a state of shock” over the crash. 

“The connectivity between Wichita and D.C. is about a lot more than flight travel,” Youngkin said, adding it builds “bonds between communities. 

“We will be grieving with these families together,” he said. 

In a post on his private account on X, formerly Twitter, Youngkin asked Virginians to “pray for [the families], support them, and ensure they know they are not alone in this terrible tragedy.” 

Thursday afternoon following an event in Richmond, Youngkin deflected when asked by reporters about Trump's claim, focusing instead on the recovery efforts and the investigation.