Staff ReportsPresident Trump recently took the opportunity to blast the Democrats for what he described as a troubling trend of lowering standards in air traffic control—not too surprising coming from a party that appears to have abandoned common sense along with any reasonable expectations. This strong declaration came against the backdrop of a tragic midair collision involving an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C. It’s the kind of incident that echoes the need for rigorous standards rather than the lax approaches that are now being adopted.
He expressed his discontent with the current state of affairs, asserting that during his administration back in 2016, he had implemented high standards, only for President Biden to reverse those improvements. According to Trump, Democrats have made a bizarre commitment to prioritizing political correctness over public safety, a concept that has now become a running joke in the realms of aviation safety and elsewhere. After all, who wouldn’t want to trust their lives to someone hired for a diversity quota rather than their skills and intellect?
In a bold move, he announced an executive order aimed directly at the Federal Aviation Administration, mandating an end to hiring practices that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion over merit. Such measures are often targeted by those who believe that employee performance should be based solely on merit and qualifications. Trump’s decision is viewed as an attempt to restore what he calls “the highest standards of air traffic controllers,” assuring the public that safety will be prioritized over the all-consuming desire to be seen as “inclusive.”
Trump says Dems put ‘policy’ ahead of airline safety, links DEI initiatives to D.C. plane crashhttps://t.co/mcW0lXJMyQ pic.twitter.com/Jxs03eSrG5
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 31, 2025
Trump emphasized during his briefing that it is imperative to recruit the “smartest people,” irrespective of their background or appearance. In his view, intellect and talent should reign supreme when it comes to the positions that manage air traffic—an area where any lapse could lead to serious repercussions. Comparisons to the prior Democratic administrations make it clear that he sees their legacy as detrimental, due to their hiring philosophies that included individuals with “severe intellectual disabilities” and various mental and physical conditions—an aspect of hiring that Trump finds particularly alarming and indicative of the Democratic approach.
This engaging rhetoric from Trump underscores a larger truth: government policies that prioritize social agendas over competency may have devastating results, especially in critical fields such as air traffic control. With a firm stance on the need for qualified personnel, Trump illustrates the absurdity of allowing politics to dictate the hiring process when lives hang in the balance. In the end, it’s not just about who gets hired; it’s about ensuring they can do the job competently to keep the flying public safe.
