CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Calls BS On Trump Rants About DEI And Air Crash: ‘Here’s What IS True’

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins called BS on President Donald Trump’s rants, blaming the D.C. air crash on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in a detailed commentary laying out the facts.

The nation was stunned when an American Airlines flight with over 60 people aboard collided with a Black Hawk Army Helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport at 8:48 pm Wednesday night.

Trump reacted with a series of social media posts, and at a press briefing on Thursday morning, he blamed former President Joe Biden and DEI for the disaster. When pressed by Collins and others, Trump went on the attack but admitted he had no evidence to support his claims.

That didn’t stop him from sticking by the claim in a presidential memorandum hammering the theme — even as he admitted again that “I don’t know” if the policies had anything to do with the tragedy:

On Thursday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins repeatedly called Trump out for making claims without evidence — as she did to his face during Thursday’s press conference.

In an extended commentary, the anchor dismantled Trump’s claims systematically, correcting the record on hiring practices she noted were intended to expand hiring for in-demand positions and help disabled veterans and others:

COLLINS: Now, the President has access to more information than almost anyone.

But in a similar fashion to how he reacted to the New Orleans terror attack, falsely linking it to migrants. Today, he suggested that diversity initiatives were to blame, even as the bodies of these survivors were still being pulled from the Potomac.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We don’t even yet know the names of the 67 people who were killed. And you are blaming Democrats and DEI policies, and air traffic control, and seemingly, the member of the U.S. military who was flying that Black Hawk helicopter. Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of the investigation right now?

TRUMP: No, I don’t think so at all. I don’t think where the names of the people — you mean the names on the — of the people that are on the plane? You think that’s going to make a difference?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: As for evidence of his claims, Trump offered this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Q: On DEI, and the claims that you’ve made, are you saying this crash was somehow caused and the result of diversity hiring? And what evidence have you seen to support these claims?

TRUMP: It just could have been. We have a high standard. We’ve had a higher — much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things, where you have to go by brain power, you have to go by psychological quality. And psychological quality is a very important element of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Here’s what is true. The standards in training to become an air traffic controller, in the United States, which are the highest in the world, are relatively straightforward. You must be a citizen, speak English, be younger than 31, and have either enough work experience or a college education. There is no mention of race or gender.

The President referenced President Obama, who expanded the hiring process, by including people who may not have gone to one of the 33 schools that offer specific training, to be an air traffic controller. But every applicant still must go to the FAA Academy for training. That’s before the candidates spend another one to three years doing on-the-job training, before they’re fully certified. They all undergo rigorous mental and physical testing.

And one reason that Obama expanded the hiring pool was because there weren’t enough people applying, to do one of the most stressful jobs that there is.

As divers are still in the water today, Trump started quoting from the FAA’s website.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And I do want to point out that various articles that appeared prior to my entering office. And here’s one. The FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.

That is amazing.

And then it says, FAA says, people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in, and they want them — they can be air traffic controllers.

I don’t think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, every administration since George W. Bush’s has pushed to increase the number of people, who have targeted disabilities. That includes people who may be deaf or blind or use a wheelchair.

And that includes the first Trump administration’s efforts to, quote, “Continue to promote and support the hiring of people with disabilities and targeted disabilities.” That covers tens of thousands of jobs at the FAA, not just the people in the air traffic control tower. And all of this was in place during Trump’s first term.

His administration even announced “A pilot program to help prepare people with disabilities for careers in air traffic operations.” That’s because the problem has never been about letting in or keeping out certain kinds of people. It’s been that there aren’t enough people involved.

In fact, the FAA needs 3,000 more air traffic controllers right now. Yet, among the first steps of this administration have been to gut a bipartisan Aviation Safety Committee, freeze the hiring of new federal workers, and offering many more of them buyouts.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.