Washington DC - President Donald Trump has claimed that diversity policies and the hiring of incompetent pilots led to a tragic plane crash near the nation's capitol.

During a press conference on Thursday, Trump spoke about the deadly mid-air collision between a helicopter and a jet that took place on Wednesday night, and while he admitted "we do not know what led" to the crash, he went on to share some of his "very strong opinions and ideas" on the matter.

Trump claimed that former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden set low standards for the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), forcing them to hire candidates with "severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities."

"I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first," Trump said.

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"They actually came out with a directive – 'too white.' And we want the people who are competent," he added.

While taking questions from reporters, Trump aggressively defended his stance.

When CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins asked if he was "getting ahead of the investigation" by blaming Democrats and diversity policies before the victims have even been identified, Trump responded "no," and sniped, "That's not a very smart question."

When another reporter pressed him on how he came to his conclusion, Trump hit back," Because I have common sense... and, unfortunately, a lot of people don't."