Kansas’ largest newspaper, the Wichita Eagle, has launched a scathing critique of President Donald Trump for what it called a tone-deaf response to the Washington, D.C. midair collision that claimed 67 lives.
In an opinion piece published Thursday, Eagle Opinion Editor Dion Lefler rebuked Trump for using his post-crash press conference to attack diversity and disability hiring policies instead of expressing empathy for the victims and their families.
Wichita in Mourning, Trump Under Fire
The American Airlines flight, which departed Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport on Wednesday night, never reached its destination after a tragic collision. The crash left Wichita grappling with shock and grief.
"President Donald Trump started his presentation on the Flight 5342 tragedy with a moment of silence," Lefler wrote. "It would have been immeasurably better if he had left it at that."
"I don’t know how Trump’s remarks are being received in the rest of the country, but Wichita is a city in mourning," he added.
Instead of focusing on the tragedy and its victims, Trump pivoted to a familiar attack, blaming former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for failing to uphold air traffic controller standards.
Lefler slammed the president’s divisive rhetoric, saying Trump turned the nation’s grief into a political grievance, using the disaster to rail against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in federal hiring.
During the White House press conference, Trump questioned whether FAA hiring practices—which accommodate Americans with disabilities—played a role in aviation safety.
Citing reports from right-wing media sources, he claimed the FAA’s hiring criteria included candidates with hearing, vision impairments, missing extremities, paralysis, epilepsy, intellectual disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and dwarfism—suggesting they were unfit for air traffic control.
Lefler rejected Trump’s assertions, stating that no policy changes had been made in over a decade and that he found no evidence linking FAA hiring decisions to the crash.
He also commended air traffic controllers for their professionalism during the crisis, saying their calm and decisive actions in the wake of the disaster prevented further chaos.
"Faced with the most horrifying scenario that can happen to an airport operations staff, they calmly ordered planes to hold in place while they coordinated a search and rescue mission using every asset they could muster," Lefler wrote.
Wichita’s Frustration with Trump’s Response
The victims of the crash included local Wichita residents, visiting hunters, and figure skaters returning home from the U.S. Figure Skating National Championships.
Lefler pointed out that even Trump’s staunchest supporters in Kansas had been silent about his remarks.
"I have scoured the pages of his staunchest supporters in and around Wichita and can’t find a single expression of support for what the president said at his whatever-that-was at the White House," he wrote.
He concluded with a sharp rebuke, calling Trump’s comments insensitive and unhelpful at a time of national mourning.
"So 67 people have died horrible deaths, thousands are mourning them here and elsewhere, and Trump’s talking points are DEI and dwarfs," he wrote. "Mr. President, with all due respect, people are grieving here. And you’re not helping anybody, even yourself."
