President Donald Trump began his White House briefing Thursday with a moment of silence and a prayer for victims of Wednesday's crash at Reagan National Airport. But his remarks quickly became a diatribe against diversity hiring and his allegation — so far without evidence — that lowered standards were to blame for the

An American Airlines regional jet went down in the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, with no survivors expected amid the extremely cold and windy conditions.

But within minutes, the “presidential” mirage dissolved. Trump unleashed an unusually appallingly rant, blaming the crash on Barack Obama, Joe Biden, former Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, DEI and people with disabilities.

The president implied that the crash was caused by the FAA's recruitment of people with "severe intellectual disabilities" and "psychiatric problems."

There is no evidence that diversity efforts played a role in the crash, and his statements disregarded his own administration’s hiring policies.

It's the first crisis of the 11-day-old Donald Trump's administration. The president claims the collision between the Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines could be blamed on DEI hiring policies.

Trump said he didn't know what caused the crash but "we have some very strong opinions and ideas."