Donald Trump began a press conference with a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the plane crash in Washington, but then used most of his time at the podium to blame politicians instead of taking an empathetic stance in the wake of the tragedy.
Without evidence, Trump blamed air traffic controllers, helicopter pilots, and Democratic policies in federal agencies.
"No, I don't think so," he said when asked if he was rushing.
The press conference lasted almost 40 minutes and Trump said that officials would release a complete list of the victims.
But he also said that the information about who died would not affect the investigation of what happened. "The names of the people who were on the plane, do you think that will make a difference?" Trump asked.
Authorities said on Thursday that they fear the 64 people on board the American Airlines plane that collided with an army helicopter may have died in what is likely the worst air disaster in the United States in nearly a quarter of a century.
At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River as recovery operations continue.
Trump suggested that the FAA's diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.
The president stated his opinion at the White House press conference, even though the accident has not been thoroughly investigated yet and it has not been determined if the FAA did anything wrong.
"The FAA is actively recruiting workers with severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative detailed on the agency's website," said Trump, noting that the program allowed for the hiring of individuals with hearing and vision problems, as well as paralysis, epilepsy, and "dwarfism."
Trump said that air traffic controllers had to be geniuses.
"They have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses," he said. "You can't have ordinary people doing their job."
The first criminal convict to be sworn in as President of the United States also strongly criticized former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
"That guy is a real winner," Trump sarcastically said about Buttigieg, before adding, "He's a disaster."
Trump blamed federal efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, which he claimed were promoted under Buttigieg's leadership, for failing to meet standards. He used vulgar language to describe such efforts.
Buttigieg repudiated the president's comments.
"Despicable. While families suffer, Trump should lead, not lie. We put safety first, reduced accidents, expanded air traffic control, and there were no deaths in commercial air accidents in millions of flights under our supervision," said the former Secretary of Transportation on Twitter, now X.
He also expressed that Trump "now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe. It is time for the president to show real leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again.
Despite Trump's comments, there was no evidence that the FAA or air traffic controllers were responsible for the accident. Trump even stated that the cause was unknown and said, "We will get to the bottom of this."
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that Trump's theories about the accident "turn your stomach."
"One thing is for Internet experts to spread conspiracy theories, and quite another is for the President of the United States to do so," Schumer said at the Capitol.
Schumer, from New York, said he has been informed about the accident and is closely monitoring the situation.