After a moment of silence, Trump started his remarks by saying that America is grieving for the lives lost.
"We are one family today and we are all heartbroken," he said.
He then went on to say that diversity initiatives at the FAA compromised the standards for air traffic controllers.
The Trump administration has made eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs a top priority across the federal government. Trump blamed past Democratic administrations for lowering standards.
Trump said it was unclear why the helicopter was at the same elevation as the plane. He alluded to "tapes" of the air traffic controller at the time, which have not been formally released.
Trump was joined by Transportation Secretary Duffy and Defense Secretary Hegseth and Vice President Vance.
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