CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers deleted a post blaming President Donald Trump for the deadly airplane-helicopter collision near the Potomac and quickly apologized

The nation was stunned when an American Airlines flight with over 60 people aboard collided with a BlackHawk Army Helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport at 8:48 pm Wednesday night.

On social media, some posted tweets suggesting President Trump could be to blame by referencing recent White House announcements. In one post, Sellers posted a screenshot of a recent press release entitled “Trump’s Dangerous Freeze of Air Traffic Control Hiring” and captioned it “8 days ago.”

Sellers deleted the post and apologized for the timing of his observation, writing:

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 the survivors, and ensuring this never happens again.

No survivors have been found or expected, authorities said Thursday at an early-morning press conference, after a late-night midair crash between a passenger plane and Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.

Authorities have moved to recovery efforts in the crash, which President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy both said they believed was preventable.

Shortly after the crash, President Trump write on X that the strategy looked “preventable.”

The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, 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 flight, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was en route from Wichita, Kan., to Washington, D.C. It collided with an Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Va.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and the US Army have launched an investigation into the catastrophic midair collision

Hegseth confirmed the probe in a statement on X, emphasizing that the investigation was “launched immediately.”

He called the incident “absolutely tragic” and noted that search and rescue efforts were still ongoing. “Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families,” he added.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed “deep sorrow” about the crash in a statement.

Isom, in a video statement, said the aircraft was operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.

“First and most importantly, I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events,” Isom said. “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.”

Isom noted that the company was working with local, state and federal authorities to assess the crash and respond to the situation.

“We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can,” he said.

The airline chief added that the company wants to learn everything it can about the crash but acknowledged that it “will take time.”

Members of American Airlines’ “Go team” are being deployed to aid the situation.

“I know that there are many questions in this early stage I just won’t be able to answer many, but we’ll provide additional information as it comes,” Isom added.