Trump says he thinks FAA diversity hiring has hurt air safety

President Donald Trump has suggested that the Federal Aviation Administration’s diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.

The president asserted his opinion even though the crash has yet to be fully investigated and there has been no determination as to whether the FAA did anything wrong.

Trump was speaking at the White House press briefing room after a fatal crash between a passenger airplane and Army helicopter on Wednesday night at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Trump also suggested he might make sweeping changes at federal aviation agencies. There could be firings “if we find that people aren’t mentally competent.”

“For some jobs,” Trump said, singling out air traffic controllers. “They have to be at the highest level of genius.”

Trump blamed previous administrations’ efforts to promote diversity at federal agencies for contributing to the crash. Asked why he thought that was an issue, he responded, “Because I have common sense.”