Democrats harshly criticized President Donald Trump for a news conference Thursday in which he said that his predecessors and diversity were to blame for Wednesday night’s fatal collision of an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

President Donald Trump called a plane crash that has left 67 people presumed dead an "hour of anguish" but later claimed diversity, equity and inclusion hiring policies could be responsible.

President Trump on Thursday appeared to blame diversity initiatives at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for weakening safety following a deadly midair collision near Washington, D.C. Over two dozen bodies have been pulled from the water.