Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls the deadly aircraft collision involving a Black Hawk and a civilian airliner "a tragedy" in a statement obtained exclusively by Fox News.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion that includes the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the deadly crash near Ronald Reagan National Airport has been granted a 48-hour operational pause.

Before holding a moment of silence for the deceased, Trump bashed the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), highlighting a memo that said the agency was “too white” during the Obama administration.

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"It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing an annual required night evaluation,” the defense secretary said.

In his first news conference since the aircraft collision over the Potomac River, President Donald Trump on Thursday implied that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be the cause, although an investigation has only just begun into the fatal disaster.

Trump acknowledged it was too soon to draw conclusions but nonetheless moved to assign blame. Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the helicopter that crashed into flight 5342 was retraining a continuity of government mission. Here's what that means.

Trump used a White House briefing about Wednesday night’s deadly collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter over the Potomac River to rail against the Obama and Biden

US Capitol Police arrested an unhinged man with knives and Molotov cocktails who allegedly intended to murder House Speaker Mike Johnson as well as Trump cabinet appointees Pete Hegseth and Scott

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that “there was some sort of elevation issue” with the Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided in mid-air with a passenger airliner Wednesday night over the Potomac River that is now being investigated.

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.