Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg lambasted Donald Trump, who blamed the recent plane crash on him.

During his briefing late Thursday morning on the D.C. plane crash, President Trump sharply criticized former South Bend mayor and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He even resorted to profanity to denounce what he called Democratic-led efforts to promote diversity at federal agencies.

Pete Buttigieg, former transportation secretary and former South Bend mayor, called Trump's comments during today's press briefing "despicable."

Politicians have always sworn, but it was not until recently that their blue language has made it into the public record.

"Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch," Buttigieg wrote on X.

Pete Buttigieg is looking into a potential Senate run in 2026 in Michigan, which was won by President Donald Trump in 2024.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized Trump on Thursday for his reaction to the devastating incident after Trump baselessly blamed the Biden administration’s policies for threatening air safety. Buttigieg called out the president for “lying” about the crash in a post on social media platform X.

In his first news conference since the aircraft collision over the Potomac River, President Donald Trump on Thursday implied that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be the cause, although an investigation has only just begun into the fatal disaster.

Politicians have always sworn, but it was not until recently that their blue language has made it into the public record.

Latest news and live updates after an American Airline jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.

Former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers plans to run again for U.S. Senate in 2026, according to the Associated Press. The Associated Press reported Thursday, Jan. 31, citing two sources familiar with Rogers' plans, that Rogers is readying to announce a bid for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.