A CNN commentator faced backlash and was forced to delete a social media post after blaming former President Donald Trump for the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C. The crash, which occurred Wednesday night, is believed to have claimed 67 lives.

Shortly after news of the crash broke, CNN commentator Bakari Sellers posted a screenshot on X of a House Committee on Transport and Infrastructure news release.

The post referenced a hiring freeze on air traffic controllers that had been implemented during Trump’s presidency.

Sellers captioned the post, “8 days ago,” as the cause of the crash remained undetermined.

They are fishing corpses out of the Potomac, families are praying their loved ones miraculously survived, we haven’t the faintest clue yet what caused the crash, and Bakari is already frantically (and publicly!) looking for a way to blame it on Trump. What a broken human being. pic.twitter.com/eeZXRAdqWF

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) January 30, 2025

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The reaction was swift, with many users accusing Sellers of politicizing a national tragedy.

“Americans are currently being fished out of the Potomac, and rather than have reverence for the victims, you chose to dishonestly (and despicably) blame,” one user wrote, citing live footage of recovery efforts being aired on CNN.

Another commenter pushed back against Sellers’ claim, stating, “The freeze has not affected any ATC command centers ANYWHERE after January 20th. There is no bottom low enough for @CNN.”

As criticism mounted, Sellers deleted the post.

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Less than two hours after the crash, Sellers issued an apology on X, acknowledging his misstep.

“I deleted the post because timing matters,” he wrote. “Politics at this point does not. I f***ed up, I own that.”

He continued, “I am very prayerful but I’m also very frustrated, upset, and disturbed with where we are as a country. I recognize, and I will do better.”

Sellers concluded his apology by emphasizing that the focus should be on the victims and preventing future tragedies.

“The only thing that matters is rescuing the survivors and ensuring this never happens again,” he wrote.

I deleted the post because timing matters. Politics at this point does not. I fucked up, I own that. I am very prayerful but I’m also very frustrated upset and disturbed with where we are as a country. I recognize, and I will do better.

The only thing that matters is rescuing…— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) January 30, 2025

Despite his retraction, social media users continued to call him out.

“You deleted the post because dozens of Americans are currently being fished out of the Potomac,” one user responded. “And rather than have reverence for the victims, you chose to dishonestly (and despicably) blame [Donald Trump].”

Another pointed out the inaccuracy of Sellers’ original claim, stating, “The hiring freeze did NOT apply to ATC. Even if the headline was accurate, using the death of 60+ innocent people to get a political dig in an hour after their death is as low as you can go.”

Sellers wasn't the only CNN employee who displayed 'Callous and yet so entirely predictable' behavior...

Minutes after the DCA plane crash, CNN anchor Abby Phillip is already trying to blame the Trump admin for the crash.

Callous and yet so entirely predictable. pic.twitter.com/FEhZkeey8b— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 30, 2025

As speculation over the cause of the crash continued, former President Trump addressed the tragedy on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” Trump wrote. “The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time.”

Trump noted the clear weather conditions and questioned the decision-making of both the helicopter crew and air traffic control.

“The lights on the plane were blazing,” he stated. “Why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn? Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane? This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the collision, which marks the deadliest U.S. commercial airline disaster since 2009.

Authorities have yet to determine what caused the military aircraft to collide with the passenger jet.

So far, 27 victims from the plane and one from the helicopter have been recovered from the Potomac River. No survivors have been found.

The Army confirmed that all three crew members aboard the Black Hawk helicopter were soldiers conducting a training flight near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when the crash occurred. The Pentagon has begun notifying next of kin.

D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly confirmed Thursday morning that the rescue operation had shifted to recovery.

“We are now at a point where we’re switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” Donnelly said. “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors.”

As the investigation continues, authorities are expected to release further details in the coming days.

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