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Trump began the briefing with a moment of silence for the 67 victims and their families. "We're all searching for answers," he said.

However, the president then attacked previous administrations under Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for allegedly lowering standards for people hired as air traffic controllers because of "diversity, equity and inclusion" initiatives that he has banned from federal government since taking office.

"We don't know that necessarily it was the controller's fault," Trump said, after also questioning why the pilot of the Army helicopter did not see and avoid the incoming plane on "a very clear night."

"The turn it made was not the correct turn," he said of the helicopter.

Trump said, "The people in the helicopter should have seen where they were going." He added: "The helicopter obviously was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a tragedy occurred."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in his first test after the Senate confirmed him last week, followed the president and said, "No excuses. We're going to get to the bottom of this."

"Tragically last night, a mistake was made," Hegseth said.

***

Virginia's leaders are expressing sorrow and pledging to seek answers following near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Officials said Thursday morning that a rescue effort had become a recovery effort and that all 67 people aboard the two aircraft are feared dead.

American Airlines Flight 5342, a regional jet coming from Wichita Kansas, had 60 passengers and four crew members. The Blackhawk helicopter, based at Fort Belvioir, had three crew members.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on NBC's "Today" Show that from what he has learned the plane appeared to be making a normal approach before the deadly crash around 9 p.m. Wednesady.

"This flight from Wichita to D.C. was making a normal approach and what I've been told is everything was normal. Of course, it wasn't," Youngkin said.

"This tragic collision which brought down both aircrafts into the Potomac, with the American Airlines flight inverting in the river, brought down with it tragically 60 passengers, four crew from the American Airlines flight and three crew from the military helicopter."

Youngkin said that "notwithstanding the heroic actions from the first responders overnight" involving rescue personnel from Virginia, D.C., Maryland, the Coast Guard and other federal resources, there is the "just heart-breaking reality this morning" that "they've had to move from rescue to recovery."

He said the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation "with our full cooperation and support."

Youngkin said he has spoken with Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines.

"They're going through the painful process of contacting families and crew members," Youngkin said. "They said they've gotten to a little more than half of all the families already as of this morning."

Youngkin said he also has spoken with Jennifer L. Homendy, the chairwoman of the NTSB.

"They are doing, of course, the very, very difficult task of, one, supporting these families because they're on point, but also starting the investigation which is so important to find out what happened."

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Virginia Democrats, attended a news conference Thursday morning near the crash site, along with Rep. Don Beyer, D-8th, and Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller.

Kaine said his first reaction is sorrow for the victims, thanks for the first responders and questions about how the crash could have happened.

"There are going to be a lot of questions, obviously, a lot of questions," Kaine said. "And that's what NTSB's job is, is to be an independent investigator of incidents like this."

He added: "It's not a time to speculate. It's a time to investigate and get answers to the questions that we need, and I have confidence that will be done."

Warner expressed condolences and noted how authorities from the federal government, Virginia, Maryland and Washington quickly responded.

"When tragedy happens, all of those distinctions between the various jurisdictions and our federal partners all disappear."

Volume of traffic at National

In 2023, Kaine and Warner opposed legislation to loosen restrictions on the number of planes allowed to fly in and out of Reagan National.

"Yes, this is a crowded air space, but it's a safe air space," Youngkin said Thursday in the "Today" interview. "Air travel in the United States is the safest air travel in the world and we just need to understand what happened in this circumstance."

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.