The Trump administration is trying to find second jobs for federal workers

Why did the Space Flight Over the River Begin last Wednesday Night? Mr. Trump, the Interior Department, and the Aviation Security Anomaly

But just because he did not know all those things did not mean he was not certain who was to blame. The conclusion can be reached without waiting for the investigation to finish.

Indeed, he acknowledged that there were many unanswered questions. He said that there was no idea if helicopter pilots following instructions would have been the difference. He said he did not know whether another plane might have blocked the pilots’ view.

What he could not say was whether any people with severe disabilities were actually hired as air traffic controllers as opposed to for other jobs compatible with their abilities. Nor could he say whether anyone on duty on Wednesday night fit that category.

The disaster over the river was caused by the Democratic presidents pushing diversity into the F.A.A.’s program. He could not say if the hiring policy language he read had any connection to the crash because it was in place during his own administration.

Mr. Musk has long quarreled with the F.A.A., which has hit his SpaceX rocket company with fines for safety lapses and sought to delay a launch. Last fall, he called for “radical reform at the F.A.A.” and a week later he reposted a picture of Michael Whitaker, the agency administrator, with the caption, “He needs to resign.” Mr. Whitaker did just that the day Mr. Trump took office last week, and the new president appointed an acting successor on Thursday.

Many states, universities and private companies are abandoning diversity programs in order to curry favor with the new administration and preserve their federal financing. The acronym D.E.I. has been made politically radioactive by Mr. Trump and his allies.

The Democrats pointed out that Mr. Buttigieg was correct that Mr. Trump had just fired members of the aviation security advisory group. “Time for the president to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again,” Mr. Buttigieg wrote.

Mr. Trump’s instant focus on diversity programs generated outrage among Democrats. “Listen, it’s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracies,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said on the Senate floor not long afterward. The president of the U.S. needs to throw out false speculation, as bodies are still being recovered and families are still being notified. It just turns your stomach.”

In addition to Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden, two of Mr. Trump’s longtime favorite targets, the president singled out Pete Buttigieg, who served as Mr. Biden’s transportation secretary, saying that “he’s a disaster.” Mr. Buttigieg is considered a possible Democratic candidate for the presidency in years to come.

Mr. Trump has been different from other presidents. He does not follow many of the rituals and traditions of his office. He practices politics of division rather than unity. There have been past presidents who hoped to project a comforting paternal presence in times of crisis, but Mr. Trump wants to move quickly to the point of grievance. He has demonstrated that he’s more comfortable being the scapegoat than the consoler in chief.

If the victims of a tragedy help bring about a political argument, that is where the exception has been. At a ceremony this week to sign a bill cracking down on unauthorized immigrants charged with certain crimes, he expressed compassion for relatives of Laken Riley who died last year when a person from Venezuela illegally crossed into the United States.

It was not the first time Mr. Trump has exhibited what even his own former aides have called an “empathy gap.” Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, with thousands of Americans dying every day at its peak, Mr. Trump rarely paused long enough to dwell on the human toll and never sponsored any memorial to the fallen. He focused on finding others to fault, whether it was China, Mr. Obama, Democratic governors or his own scientific advisers.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, he got into a fight with San Juan’s mayor and when he came to the island, he tossed paper towels to people who had been without food or water. He was angry about being criticized for his handling of the disaster and suggested the US sell or trade away Puerto Rico.

He has responded similarly to natural disasters by going on the attack. Just this month, Mr. Trump reacted to the devastating wildfires in greater Los Angeles by blasting Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, calling him “Newscum.”

Mr. Trump said that he put safety first in his first visit to the room. “Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first. This was the lowest level they had ever put politics at. Their policy was horrible and their politics was even worse.”

There was also President Trump. In the wake of this week’s midair collision near Washington, Mr. Trump was more than happy to jump to conclusions and pull the country apart rather than together. It was five minutes after Mr. Trump said it would be anhour of anguish, that he blamed President Obama and former President Joseph Biden for the crash.

After TWA Flight 800 went down in New York, President Bill Clinton urged Americans not to jump to conclusions about what happened and called for the country to work together.

Donald Trump blamed diversity policies promoted by Barack Obama and former President Joseph Biden for the crash that killed 67 people.

is a transportation editor with 10 years of experience who covers electric vehicles, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.

The Air Safety Commission (FAA) is Out of Business: Duffy and Whitaker Revisiting the Air Traffic Control Report on 2023

At a press conference Thursday with rescue officials, newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ignored reporters’ questions about whether the FAA had an acting director in place to help manage the crisis.

The FAA has also fined Starlink, after the SpaceX subsidiary failed to submit safety data before launching satellites in 2022. In a House hearing, Whitaker explained that the FAA’s civil penalties were “the only tool we have to get compliance on safety matters.”

In addition to Musk’s attacks, the FAA has long suffered from underfunding and outdated technology. The report released in 2023 said the risk of air safety was put at risk due to the increasing reliance of overtime to air traffic control staff. Air traffic workers have complained about dangerous conditions from staff shortages and dilapidated buildings to the agency.