Trump's Theory about the Plane Crash

[NameChangedForThis1985]

Just watched his press conference in absolute disbelief. He's just blamed the air traffic controllers as apparently under the Biden administration they recruited people into the role who weren't intellectually capable. He actually blames diversity criteria and basically box ticking.... 'hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities' - that's a direct quote.

As someone with ASD, anxiety and depression who works in a high level, highly skilled role, I am angry on behalf of anyone like me.

The man is a dangerous liar.

(edited by MNHQ)

The conversation nobody wants to have is that it's possibly terrorism.....

What makes you think this?

....er....the incredibly rare instance of this kind of thing?

But is what he’s claiming true? I somehow doubt it. I’ve no doubt being in a job such as air traffic control has stringent tests to ensure people in the role are mentally fine. Very odd thing to try to score points on.

As an aside, I know two nuclear physicists (I know, how odd!) Both are autistic. I don’t think one precludes the other!

Well he was recruited by the American public . He needs to think before he speaks.

The irony of him talking about the wrong people in important jobs 😂

If it was really the case that people in such a vital and responsible role were recruited merely as a "diversity box ticking exercise" during the Biden years then surely planes would have been crashing fairly regularly. Trump is a truly repellent creature, who recalls him making mock of a disabled man?

This should have been enough to end anyone's career but here we are and he is only going to become more gross

Yep, and contribute to potentially other dangerous flying situations?? Great advice….

Whisper it quietly but within the aviation community there have been worries expressed for quite a while, even well pre Trump, that controlling in the US often isn’t as it should be and theories flying around as to why that is the case. Lack of controllers is reckoned to be a major factor but there are quite a few who subscribe to the view that “diversity hiring” hasn’t helped.

How you prove it one way or the other, I don’t know..but the recruitment process certainly has to be based on demonstrated ability to do the the job, not on other factors.

However it’s pretty bloody appalling for Trump to use this accident to grandstand on the issue.

'hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities'

That pretty much describes him. Too bad he is too incompetent to fire himself.

spokesman for the FAA on sky news right
now saying that they did have a culture of this when he worked there

If he no longer works there he is not a spokesman for the FAA but a random ex-worker with god knows what agenda.

It is deeply offensive and disgusting for anyone to declare that DEI caused a fatal crash less than 24 hours after the crash happened. No one knows what happened yet and won't for a while. It is horrible to use this tragedy to get a dig in at DEI programs. People died for god's sake and this is what Trump does- uses it for a political gotcha. Disgusting.

And that FAA hiring website. the FAA doesn't just hire air traffic controllers - there are a lot of other staff of various levels and various competencies required.

But yes I would like the hiring process to be colour blind - truly colour blind in that all references and dog whistles to race are stripped out of any resume and interviews take place behind a curtain. When they did this for auditions for major orchestras they turned from vastly majority white (apparently everyone thought white people just performed better at auditions don't you know) to way more diverse.

But is what he’s claiming true?

Let's see what the US public think. If number of people flying is severely affected. then they would be believing him.

If it is unaffected, they are basically saying they don't believe him.

Hang on, are you saying that because occurrences like this are rare, the air traffic controllers involved must have had ‘severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities’?

It seemed to me like the ATC were doing their job as they were alerting the helicopter pilot to the plane ? It was the helicopter pilot at fault ? Did he have an intellectual issue ?

The article does not say what roles were filled by people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems. A gentleman with Down's syndrome was employed by a carbon fibre manufacturer when I worked there. The manufacturer made carbon fibre for cars, boats, etc. I expect you think the cars would fall apart on the road causing mass death with him working there. Only the gentleman worked keeping the factory clean and had nothing to do with manufacturing the fibre.

Hiring females is part of DEI too. When the program is done away with - and it will be - expect to see that glass ceiling replaced by a much lower concrete ceiling.

I think he’s right. We should not be hiring people in the name of diversity criteria. We should be hiring the best and most capable person for the job, regardless of sex, race etc.

@Princessconsuelabananahammock9
No vocal response from the helicopter, direct line straight into the plane. Just a thought as it's clearly nothing to do with disabled people being employed

Ha, I'd wondered why a shout of "POISONOUS FUCKING PRICK" had come floating downstairs and into my earshot about an hour ago.
Id assumed it wasnt directed at me, but now i know.

Does anyone seriously think that people with "severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities" are let loose on the complex US air traffic control system? Really? I imagine the airlines might have something to say if even one instance came to light. It's always been a job with a high skill set for successful application and extensive training.

Unlike being President, in some cases.

Do you think a press conference less than 24 hours after a devastating tragedy, which currently no one knows the cause of, was the time to raise this issue?

This crash ended a decade and a half of aviation safety in the US and was the worst crash in 24 years.

How would we feel if someone blamed the crash on Trump eliminating all members of a key aviation security advisory group and freezing all hiring at the FAA last week - including air traffic controllers?

Agreed.
Entirely shameful stoking.

Trump has no intention of pointing the finger at the military helicopter. There might be a coup.

If ATC were to strike, the country would come to a halt pretty quickly. They should consider it. I recall a similar action by ATC some years ago where the striking ATC were replaced by military controllers. Does anyone remember that or have I got that wrong?

I wonder this too. The plane was presumably just coming into land as planned

The scary thing is how many Americans will agree with every word he says.