CNN Commentators Under Fire for Blaming Trump in D.C. Midair Collision – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
9:33 AM – Thursday, January 30, 2025
CNN commentator Bakari Sellers, alongside two other prominent left-leaning commentators with substantial social media followings, incited backlash late Wednesday evening by attributing blame to President Donald Trump for the tragic midair collision involving an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter.
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At that time, Sellers shared and subsequently removed a screenshot of a press release issued last week after Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) criticized Trump for allegedly calling for a “dangerous freeze of air traffic control hiring.”
Larsen’s remarks referenced one of Trump’s executive orders that was signed shortly after taking office last week.
Almost immediately, Sellers faced significant backlash from social media users, accusing him of politicizing the devastating incident.
“While Americans are being rescued from the Potomac, instead of honoring the victims, you chose to manipulate (and disgracefully) blame,” remarked one critic, referencing footage aired on Sellers’ own network.
“The freeze has not impacted any ATC command centers since January 20th. There is no low too low for @CNN,” another user highlighted, challenging the commentator’s contentious claims.
As criticism continued to mount, Sellers removed the post and issued an apology just two hours after the incident.
“I deleted the post because timing is crucial,” Sellers stated following the pushback. “At this moment, politics are irrelevant. I admit, I f***ed up.”
“While I am incredibly prayerful, I am also very frustrated, upset, and disturbed by the state of our country,” he further expressed. “I recognize my mistake and will strive to do better.”
“The foremost priority is the rescue of survivors and ensuring this tragedy does not occur again,” he concluded, implying he had raised unfounded conspiracies too prematurely.
However, some users on X were not swayed by his apology, as they pointed out factual inaccuracies in his statements.
“You can’t train an air traffic controller in just eight days,” one user commented, accompanying their statement with a four-letter expletive.
“You deleted that post because countless Americans are being rescued from the Potomac,” another user responded directly to his apology.
“[A]nd instead of honoring the victims, you opted to dishonestly blame [Donald Trump],” another user remarked.
“People have lost their lives. How can you harbor such political animosity?” another user said.
“The hiring freeze did NOT affect ATC,” another added, indicating that “even if the headline was accurate, exploiting the tragic deaths of over 60 innocent individuals for a political jab within an hour of their demise is as low as it gets.”
Aaron Rupar, a former Vox journalist with more than 908,000 followers on X, shared a link to a Huffington Post article titled: “Trump Guts Key Aviation Safety Committee, Fires Heads of TSA, Coast Guard.”
The article, published by the Associated Press on January 22nd, drew further criticism.
One X user commented: “You are a despicable excuse for a human being.”
Another user wrote: “If you are implying these firings are connected to the crash, it suggests those dismissed were underperforming and that the firings were warranted.”
Additionally, Kyle Kulinski, a left-leaning podcaster known for hosting “Secular Talk,” echoed Rupar’s headline.
One user retorted: “This is shameful, even for you…Was it just luck that this didn’t happen under Biden’s administration?”
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