Trump began his remarks by asking for a moment of silence, then spoke for several minutes. At the end of his prepared remarks, he concluded: “God bless everyone in this room,” referring to the members of the press corps.
It was a far cry from Trump’s usual jabs at the “fake news,” and a sign of the seriousness with which the president and the new administration are taking the crash. Trump also expressed grief and sorrow, specifically mentioning Russian passengers who were aboard the flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy also addressed the briefing about the crash, which occurred on his second day on the job. Contrary to early reports, there were no survivors of the crash.
For several years, this author has suggested started White House press briefings with a moment of silence and a short prayer, whose text would include not only prayers for the president but also for the members of the media present.
Trump informed the media that the likely cause of the crash was human error, and also highlighted the importance of hiring air traffic controllers purely on the basis of competence. He noted that he had already signed an executive order banning DEI hiring in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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