AT THE WHITE HOUSE: President Donald Trump took the podium in the briefing room, beginning his remarks with solemnity. “I speak to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation,” he said, calling it a “dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and our nation’s history.” The most notable bit of news that came from Trump’s news conference was his announcement that he was immediately appointing Chris Rocheleau, a top executive for an aviation business association, to be acting FAA administrator. He also said that the FAA, NTSB and U.S. military will all be conducting “comprehensive” investigations of the crash. Trump and Duffy both committed to swift investigations that the DOT chief said would deliver answers “not in three years, not in four years, but as quickly as possible.” Early in his remarks, it appeared as though the president was prepared to preach unity: “Differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all, both as Americans and even as nations,” Trump said. But it didn’t take long for Trump to launch into a litany of attacks against any number of targets. He foisted blame for the crash on former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. “Their policy was horrible and their politics was even worse,” Trump said, claiming that their policies led to a deterioration of competent workers in the federal government. “They actually came out with a directive — ‘too white’ — and we want the people that are competent.” He also seemingly blamed those operating the helicopter and the air traffic controller. “You had a pilot problem from the standpoint of the helicopter. … [I]t was a very clear night. It was cold, but clear and clear as you could be. The American Airlines plane had lights blazing,” Trump said. “I have helicopters. You can stop a helicopter very quickly. It had the ability to go up or down. It had the ability to turn.” And though he stated he was “not blaming the controller,” he said “there are things that you could question, like the height of the helicopter, the height of the plane being at the same level and going in opposite directions.” But the common theme of the news conference was a consistent railing against DEI policies, which Trump claimed could have played a part in the breakdown — though he offered no evidence of such assertions. Appearing with him at the briefing were Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and VP JD Vance, all of whom briefly spoke and made points to underline Trump’s emphasis on rooting out DEI policies within the government. “The era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department, and we need the best and brightest — whether it’s in our air traffic control or whether it’s in our generals or whether it’s throughout government,” Hegseth said. “When you don't have the best standards in who you're hiring, it means on the one hand you're not getting the best people in government. But on the other hand, it puts stress on the people who are already there,” Vance said. “And I think that is a core part of what President Trump is going to bring and has already brought to Washington, D.C.,” Asked point-blank why he believed DEI had anything to do with the crash, Trump said: “Because I have common sense. OK. And, unfortunately, a lot of people don’t.” Trump also singled out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, calling him a “disaster.” “He’s just got a good line of bullshit,” Trump said. (We have to wonder if this is the first time a U.S. president has ever used the word “bullshit” in official remarks to the country after a national tragedy.) He also returned to a familiar sparring position with the press gathered in the briefing room. When CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked whether he was getting ahead of any investigations by offering his own assessments of the incident, Trump retorted: “I don't think so at all,” adding, “I think that’s not a very smart question. I’m surprised, coming from you.” Then, when NBC’s Peter Alexander pushed back on Trump’s claim that Biden policies were to blame for any problems — noting that some of the policies Trump assailed were posted back in 2013 and were in place during Trump 1.0 — the president waved him off both with his words and his hand. At DCA, flights resumed this morning, albeit with some delays and cancellations. Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who chairs the committee with oversight authority over the FAA and DOT, told reporters today that there would be a “thorough and careful investigation” of the incident, though he didn’t say specifically if his committee was planning its own investigation, Ben Leonard writes. Cruz also declined to comment on Trump’s speculation that DEI policies contributed to the crash, saying he hadn’t seen those remarks: “I don’t think it makes sense to jump to conclusions,” Cruz said. “We should determine the actual evidence and determine what went wrong.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com.
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