During his Thursday press conference about the deadly Wednesday collision between a passenger jet and military helicopter near Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested there was a link between the tragedy and diversity hiring policies at the Federal Aviation Administration.

A midair collision near D.C. has raised concerns over FAA staffing, prompting scrutiny of air traffic control and aviation safety oversight.

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.

Rachel Maddow tells the story of how the former FAA administrator, Michael Whitaker, fell afoul of Elon Musk and was driven from his position upon Donald Trump taking office. With Trump's negligence toward assembling a competent government,

It appears that the first major air disaster in the U.S. since 2009 has occurred while the Federal Aviation Administration does not have a permanent leader.

President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed, without citing evidence, that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration -- under Democratic presidents -- were partly to blame for the tragic plane and helicopter collision in Washington on Wednesday night.

BREAKING NEWS: A passenger jet collided midair with a black hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River in a mass casualty event in Washington DC. Just last week, Trump FIRED the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, and… pic.twitter.com/211yDQ0I9l

Democrats previously hit out at the president's federal hiring freeze for hindering the "number one safety issue" in aviation.

Trump has never provided proof that a single DEI hire “failed to meet established standards,” one expert said.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s preliminary report on the D.C. plane crash goes against everything the president has said thus far.

Trump acknowledged it was too soon to draw conclusions but nonetheless moved to assign blame. Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash.