Trump rips CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after she grills him about ‘blaming Democrats and DEI policies’ over DC plane crash: ‘Not a very smart question’

President Donald Trump slammed CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins at a press conference Thursday during a testy exchange after she pressed him about “blaming” Democrats and diversity and equity and inclusion policies for the Washington, DC, air crash.

“We don’t yet know the names of the 67 people [who] were killed, and you are blaming Democrats and DEI policies and air traffic control, and seemingly the member of the US military who was flying the Black Hawk helicopter,” Collins said. “Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of the investigation right now?”

“I don’t think so at all,” Trump shot back. “I don’t think the names of the people — you mean the names of the people that are on the plane — you think that’s going to make a difference?”

Collins replied: “Does it comfort their family to hear you blaming DEI policies?”

The president said he could give Collins a list of names who lost their lives and that the White House is coordinating closely with American Airlines and the military before he took a parting shot at Collins — who recently added the role of Chief White House Correspondent.

“I think that’s not a very smart question,” he said.

Collins said he was “blaming air traffic controllers” before getting cut off by Trump.

“I’m surprised coming from you,” he told the primetime host.

The president’s White House press briefing came a day after American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC. Wednesday night. There were no survivors of the deadly crash, which claimed 67 lives.

During the press conference, Trump railed against former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for allegedly lowering the standards for air traffic controllers through diversity programs.

“I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary. You remember that, only the highest aptitude, the highest intellect, and psychologically superior people were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers,” Trump said.

“And then when I left office and Biden took over, he changed them back to lower than ever before. I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first, and they put politics at a level that nobody’s ever seen because this was the lowest level.”

The president said Democratic administrations “put a big push to put diversity into the FAA’s program” and ripped former President Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as a “disaster” who had “a good line of bulls—” and ran the FAA “right into the ground with his diversity.”

“The FAA diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing,” Trump said while acknowledging at one point that he doesn’t know for a fact who exactly was responsible for the tragedy.

“The FAA website states they include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism — all qualified for the position of a controller.”

“The FAA — another story — determined that the workforce was too white. They actually came out with a directive, too white, and we want the people that are competent,” he said.

“We’ll restore faith in American air travel, I’ll have more to say about that.”