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

President Donald Trump began his White House briefing with a moment of silence and a prayer for the victims of Wednesday’s crash at Reagan National Airport.

Authorities declined to say what may have caused the deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night while the investigation is underway, even as President Trump and his allies sought to politicize the incident by blaming diversity efforts.

"Shameful", reads the Daily Mirror's headline as it covers Donald Trump's blame for the Washington air collision on diversity hires. The paper calls it a "new low" for what is says is the deadliest air tragedy in the US since 2001. The paper quotes the former US transport secretary as saying: "Trump should be leading, not lying".

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

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

Trump acknowledged that it was too soon to draw conclusions as he encouraged the nation to pray for the victims. But he moved nonetheless to assign blame.

Following the deadly midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter, President Donald Trump put the blame on Federal Aviation Administration's diversity, equity and inclusion programs.