Vice President J.D. Vance criticized the media for its portrayal of President Trump’s comments linking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring to the deadly mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

In an interview with Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, Vance emphasized the connection between past policies and the current air traffic controller shortage.

‘There is a very direct connection between the policies of the last administration and short-staffed air traffic controllers. That has to stop,’ Vance said.

Vance suggested that DEI programs may have contributed to personnel shortages, potentially exacerbating safety risks.

‘So the president’s been very clear about this. This is not saying that the person who was at the controls is a DEI hire. But let’s just say, first of all, we should investigate everything, but let’s just say the person at the controls didn’t have enough staffing around him or her because we were turning people away because of DEI reasons,’ he told the host. 

He also accused the media of distorting Trump’s remarks about the cause of the crash that claimed 67 lives.

‘It’s funny how the media — obviously not you, Maria — twists this. The president never blamed anyone directly,’ he said. 

‘He simply pointed out that DEI policies have left air traffic controllers understaffed. That’s a scandal, and thankfully, one the president has put an end to,’ Vance added.

Vice President J.D. Vance criticized the media for its portrayal of President Trump’s comments linking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring to the deadly mid-air collision in D.C.

Trump said the collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in Washington, DC,that claimed 67 lives was a ‘tragedy of terrible proportions’ 

Trump previously addressed the crash, which involved a passenger plane and a military helicopter, calling it a ‘tragedy of terrible proportions’.

During the interview, Bartiromo also asked Vance about his political future.

‘You’re one of the youngest vice presidents in history. Are you planning to run for president in three and a half years?’ she asked.

Vance responded that she was the first to ask him that question.

In a Thursday press conference, Trump criticized the Federal Aviation Administration’s DEI regulations, arguing that air safety should prioritize skill and competence over diversity quotas.

‘We need the smartest people in these jobs. It doesn’t matter what they look like or who they are. What matters is intellect and talent,’ Trump said. ‘We can’t have regular people doing this job. They won’t be able to handle it.’

He reiterated that the collision was entirely preventable and vowed to eliminate DEI-driven hiring practices in federal agencies.

‘I have some pretty good ideas about what happened,’ Trump added. ‘And I’ll make sure it never happens again.’

Pictured: The moment the Black Hawk helicopter crashed into an American Airlines flight in DC

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also defended Trump ‘s criticism of DEI hiring practices in government and revealed new details about the investigation surrounding the fatal plane crash in D.C.

‘We are looking at altitude, and the president was clear about that, someone was at the wrong altitude,’ Hegseth said on Fox News. ‘Was the Black Hawk too high? Was it on course? Right now we don’t quite know.’

President Trump revealed on social media on Friday morning that the helicopter was ‘flying too high.’

‘It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???’ the president wrote on TruthSocial.

Hegseth confirmed that three soldiers were aboard the Black Hawk helicopter but could not conclusively say which pilot was flying the helicopter at the time of the crash.

‘You had a captain in training. You had a chief warrant officer too as an instructor. And then you also had a staff sergeant in that Black Hawk as well,’ he said. 

Chief Warrant Officer 2, Andrew Eaves has since been identified as the pilot on board the Black Hawk Army helicopter, and the crew chief was identified as Ryan O’Hara.

The female co-pilot has yet to be named.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks with reporters

‘It’s funny how the media — obviously not you, Maria — twists this. The president never blamed anyone directly,’ Vance said

Hegseth said the military wanted to make sure the families were notified before revealing the names of everyone killed in the crash.

He defended President Donald Trump’s claim that diversity, equity and inclusion programs within government were partially to blame for the crash.

‘The environment around which we choose pilots or air traffic controllers, as the president pointed out correctly yesterday, better be highest possible standard,’ he said. ‘The best of the best who are managing, you know … a flight a minute and managing radio traffic.’