Trump Points Fingers, Plays Politics After Deadly Plane Crash

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By Yuval Rosenberg and Michael Rainey

Good evening. Let's get right to it.

Trump Offers Condolences, Then Criticism Over Deadly Plane Crash

The nation is mourning the 67 lives presumed lost in last night's collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet at Reagan National Airport, the deadliest U.S. air disaster in decades. As the investigation into the crash was in its early hours and bodies were still being recovered from the Potomac River, President Trump today asked for a moment of silence for the victims and families, calling the tragedy "an hour of anguish" for the country. "As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly," he said.

He then turned from consolation to criticism, using the tragedy to support his political agenda and blaming the disaster on his Democratic predecessors and diversity programs. Trump acknowledged that the investigation was just underway, and at various points seemed to blame errors by air traffic control and the helicopter pilot. When asked what evidence he has for his claims that diversity hiring played a role, he said: "It just could have been." Asked again, he responded: "Because I have common sense, OK, and unfortunately a lot of people don't."

Trump's comments drew fiery responses from Democrats - who called them "grotesque," "outrageous" and "despicable" - and from others. "At these moments you're supposed to take a solemn note of respect. That's what we do in America when tragedy occurs," presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told The Washington Post. "But Trump tried to use it as an opportunity to push the MAGA 2025 agenda in a nonsensical way."

Poll of the Day: Who's Putting Their Confidence in Kennedy

At today's Senate confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, said that Kennedy's history of undermining public confidence in vaccines "with unfounded or misleading arguments" was a concern. "As a physician who's been involved in immunization programs, I've seen the benefits of vaccinations. I know they save lives," he said. "I know they're a crucial part of keeping our nation healthy."

Cassidy also noted that Kennedy, nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has built a large public following. "There are many who trust you more than they trust their own physician," Cassidy said. "And so the question I need to have answered is, What will you do with that trust?"

Cassidy may be the deciding vote in determining whether Kennedy is confirmed. He said he is "struggling" with the decision. However he votes, the senator was clearly right about Kennedy's appeal to a sizable swath of the American public. A poll released this week by KFF, a healthcare foundation, found that 43% of American adults say they trust Kennedy "a great deal" or "a fair amount" on health issues. (The same percentage said they trust President Trump and Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump's choice to lead the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.)

Unsurprisingly, there's a vast partisan split, as you can see in the chart below. More than 80% of Republicans trust Trump and Kennedy on health issues compared with just 7% of Democrats. The split for Oz is similar.

The KFF poll also found that public trust in government health agencies has fallen over the past 18 months, continuing a slide that started during the Covid pandemic. And 26% of Republicans now say that have skipped or delayed some vaccines for their children, up from 13% in 2023.

Read more about the poll findings.

 

US Economy Grows a Solid 2.8% in 2024

The U.S. economy registered solid though slightly disappointing growth in the final three months of the Biden administration, as gross domestic product expanded at a 2.3% annual rate, according to the Commerce Department. The results were slightly below expectations ranging from 2.4% to 2.6%.

For the full year, the economy grew at a healthy 2.8% rate, just below the 2.9% rate recorded in 2023. Measured from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2024, the growth rate was 2.5%.

Consumer spending was a key driver last quarter, growing at a 4.2% pace, up from 3.7% the quarter before. Government spending rose, as well, growing 2.5%. Fixed investment, however, was a drag during the quarter, falling by 5.6%.

The report boosts confidence about the state of the economy. "Today's GDP report confirms that the U.S. economic expansion continued apace into the end of 2024 on relatively firm footing," said Mike Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at Glenmede, per CNBC. "As goes the consumer, so goes the broader economy in the U.S., and household spending put in an exceptionally strong showing in Q4."

Looking ahead, analysts said the U.S. economy is poised for continued growth. "We expect growth this year to expand at a 2.5% pace with risk of a quicker pace of expansion-above 3%-as the economy continues to outperform its global peers," wrote RSM Chief Economist Joseph Brusuelas.

Some analysts, however, warned that potential new policies being discussed by the Trump administration could change the trajectory in significant ways. "The biggest risk to our 2025 forecast is an immediate imposition of across-the-board tariffs on key trading partners," said Oxford Economics economist Bernard Yaros, per Semafor.

 

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