President Donald Trump on Thursday gave a dismissive response when asked if he would visit the Washington-area location where a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided, killing 67 people.
“I have a plan to visit, not the site because — you tell me, what’s the site? The water?” Trump told reporters at the White House. “You want me to go swimming?”
The midair collision happened Wednesday night as an American Airlines jet was about to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. There were 64 people on the plane and three military personnel in the helicopter.
Officials said there were no survivors, and by Thursday morning authorities had pulled 28 bodies from the frigid Potomac River.
Following the deadly crash, Trump posted on social media: “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
At a press briefing, Trump blamed the crash on diversity hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration and spoke about the “icy Potomac.”
“We’re all searching for answers,” Trump said, adding that the crash occurred on a “cold, cold night” with “cold water.”
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Asked at the White House if he had a plan to meet with first responders, Trump said he didn’t.
“I don’t have a plan to do that, but I will be meeting with some people that were very badly hurt — with their family member, obviously, but I’ll be meeting with some of the families,” Trump said.