Captain Sully ‘Disgusted’ by Trump’s Remarks on DC Plane Crash

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, known for the “Miracle on the Hudson,” has said he was “disgusted” by President Donald Trump blaming diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for Wednesday’s plane crash in Washington, D.C.

Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.

The Context

An American Airlines passenger plane was in collision with a military Black Hawk helicopter while the plane was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. The crash sent both aircraft plummeting into the Potomac River and killed 67 people, including all 60 passengers and four crew on the plane, and all three soldiers aboard the helicopter.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and officials with the National Transportation Safety Board told reporters on Thursday that they would not speculate on the cause.

But Trump spent much of a Thursday news conference casting blame for the crash on DEI efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration even as he acknowledged that he did not have any evidence and it was too soon to draw conclusions. Shortly after returning to office last week, Trump signed an executive order putting a stop to DEI programs across the U.S. government.

What To Know

Sullenberger was asked during an appearance on MSNBC’s The Last Word on Thursday about Trump’s comments during the news conference.

“I don’t want to draw you into politics but if you have a reaction to what the president said today about this, please share it with us,” host Lawrence O’Donnell said.

Sullenberger replied: “Not surprised. Disgusted.”

Sullenbeger was hailed a hero after successfully executing an emergency landing on the Hudson River in January 2009 when the U.S. Airways jet he was piloting lost thrust in both engines after hitting a flock of birds shortly after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. No one died, and only five people were seriously injured.

Earlier in the interview, Sullenberger told O’Donnell he was “devastated” when he heard the news.

“It hit me deeply, intensely. The loss of those lives, those precious lives,” he said. “I can imagine the families of those who are lost and the grief they must feel and they’re looking for some reason, some explanation that as yet is not available to us.”

He said investigators with the NTSB “will follow the truth, they will follow the facts wherever they lead and we can have great confidence that the results will be found, they will be made public and as we always do after such a tragedy, the entire industry will learn these terrible lessons that we learned at great cost.”

What People Are Saying

Trump, when asked why he was blaming diversity initiatives when the cause of the crash was still under investigation, said: “Because I have common sense. OK? And unfortunately, a lot of people don’t. We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level. When you have 60 planes coming in during a short period of time, and they’re all coming in different directions, and you’re dealing with very high-level computer, computer work and very complex computers.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during the news conference: “When we deal with safety, we can only accept the best and the brightest in positions of safety that impact the lives of our loved ones, our family members, and I think you make a really important point on that Mr President. That is the motto of your presidency: the best and the brightest, the most intelligent, coming into these spaces.”

Pete Buttigieg, who was former president Joe Biden’s transportation secretary, wrote on X: “Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. 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.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X: “I just watched President Trump’s news conference on the heartbreaking, horrific accident at DCA, and I have to tell you: It’s one thing for internet pundits to spew up conspiracy theories. It’s another for the President of the United States of America to throw out idle speculation even as victims are still being recovered, and families are still being notified. It turns your stomach.”

What’s Next

Later on Thursday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum ordering a review of “all hiring decisions and changes to safety protocols” during the Biden administration.