WASHINGTON (WNDU) – President Donald Trump didn’t hold back when it came to sharing his thoughts during a news conference about the fatal collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter.
During his briefing late Thursday morning on the D.C. plane crash, President Trump sharply criticized former South Bend mayor and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He even resorted to profanity to denounce what he called Democratic-led efforts to promote diversity at federal agencies.
Trump complained specifically about Buttigieg, who served as transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden. He stated that Buttigieg had run the department “right into the ground with his diversity.”
“A real winner. That guy’s a real winner,” the president said of Buttigieg. “Do you know how badly everything’s run since he’s run the Department of Transportation? He’s a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor, he ran his city into the ground and he’s a disaster now. He’s just got a good line of b*******.”
Buttigieg responded on social media, calling Trump’s comments “despicable,” adding that “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying.”
The remarks came despite the president acknowledging the cause of the crash is unknown.
“We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions,” President Trump said.
Copyright 2025 WNDU. All rights reserved.
