Sunday, February 2, 2025
For immediate release
Contact: William Epstein, 610-505-6105
DJOP asks: Does Donald Trump have even one ounce
of empathy for the 67 crash victims and their families?
With Donald Trump immediately placing blame for Wednesday night’s deadly mid-air
tragedy in Washington, DC, on the Biden and Obama administrations and diversity
hiring programs, Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania (DJOP) asked today
whether Trump “has even one ounce of empathy for the 67 crash victims and their
families.”
Jill Zipin, Chair of the state-wide political action committee, said DJOP “has come to
expect Donald Trump to respond without facts and without sensitivity.” She stated:
“We deeply mourn the loss of life Wednesday night. Our hearts are saddened for the
families, friends and colleagues of those who no longer are with us.
“Once again, however, Trump outdid himself by immediately using this tragedy for
political purposes, making misstatement after misstatement.
“Instead of waiting for a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), Trump chose to cast blame through his narrow political lens, with no concern for
the facts or evidence to support his baseless claims.
“It is no different from when Trump blamed illegal immigration for the terrorist attack in
New Orleans last month when the perpetrator was, in fact, a U.S. citizen born in Texas.
Or when he blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies for the Los Angelos
wildfires, with no evidence that a different approach would have made a difference
against the fires.
“It is truly horrifying that the leader of our country shows so little compassion and
common decency. Trump’s baseless accusations about who is responsible for this
tragic loss of life leads us to ask if the President has even one ounce of empathy for the
67 crash victims and their families.
“We recognize that President Trump asked for a moment of silence for the victims of the
crash in a White House briefing room news conference. But immediately he launched
into an undignified fact-free rant blaming hiring practices at the FAA for the tragedy, far
overshadowing his call for a moment of silence.”
