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A former American Airlines captain has expressed outrage over former President Donald Trump’s comments regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring policies following the deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport earlier this week.
Les Abend, a retired American Airlines pilot, said he was “disgusted” by Trump’s criticism of DEI and felt insulted by remarks that targeted professionals he had relied on throughout his career.
“Sorry, but I was disgusted by that entire press conference and the statements made about people I depended upon throughout my career,” Abend said on CNN Friday. He was referring to Trump’s comments made a day earlier during a White House press briefing.
Abend emphasized that becoming an air traffic controller requires an extensive and rigorous selection process. “The qualifications required for a controller are stringent. It’s a lot of work,” he told CNN’s Kasie Hunt. “It takes at least five years before someone can work solo at a given facility, and each facility has its own level of complexity.”
Trump’s remarks followed a tragic collision between an American Airlines flight departing from Kansas and a military helicopter, which killed all 67 people on board both aircraft. The incident is one of the deadliest air collisions in the U.S. in the past 20 years.
Trump blamed DEI hiring policies for the crash, claiming that they jeopardized aviation safety and weakened the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He argued that the Biden administration had eliminated crucial psychological tests previously used to assess aviation professionals.
“You have to go by psychological quality, and that’s a very important element,” Trump said on Thursday. “These are various, very powerful tests that we put to use. And they were terminated by Biden. And Biden went by a standard that seeks the exact opposite. So now, we don’t know.”
Abend strongly refuted these claims, asserting that both air traffic controllers and pilots must meet strict standards to be hired.
“The same applies to pilots. There is a specific standard for hiring pilots, whether they are Black, white, purple, or brown—it doesn’t make any difference,” he said. “Those standards must be met, and nobody gets hired if they don’t meet those particular standards.”
Trump’s comments have sparked backlash from lawmakers across the political spectrum. Some have raised concerns, while others have openly criticized his stance on diversity programs following the deadly crash.
The former president has repeatedly pushed for the FAA to end DEI hiring policies as part of a broader effort to dismantle such initiatives across the federal government. In a recent move, he appointed FAA veteran Chris Rocheleau as acting administrator until a permanent nominee is confirmed by the Senate.
