Staff Reports
In an impressive display of partisan gymnastics, Bakari Sellers, a prominent figure on the CNN payroll, decided that amidst the tragic wreckage of a plane crash near Washington, D.C., it was the perfect moment to pin the blame squarely on former President Donald Trump. This audacious tweet came just hours after an American Airlines jet collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, an incident that left no survivors and plenty of shock and grief among Americans. Apparently, for Sellers, sorrow was no match for the opportunity to exploit a national tragedy for political gain.
Right on cue, Sellers raced to X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) to connect a wholly disconnected dot: a plane crash and Trump’s recent inauguration. As if the American public desperately needed a reminder that the crash happened just eight days into Trump’s presidency, Sellers seized the moment to score cheap political points while families were still grappling with the grim news. His tactic backfired spectacularly, igniting a wave of outrage that swept across social media faster than a search team could sift through the wreckage. Many users hammered him online for being shockingly tone-deaf and disrespectful during a time of tragedy.
While American heroes were pulling victims from the Potomac River, Sellers, undeterred by simple decency, faced rebuke for his tasteless post. Critics didn’t hold back, pointing out that rather than showing compassion, he opted to pitifully blame a former president. One X user lamented the lack of respect for the victims, while another jabbed at CNN’s bottomless pit of low standards. It’s almost as if Sellers had mistaken Twitter for a comedy stage—a really bad comedy stage, no less.
CNN Commentator Apologizes, Deletes Post Blaming Trump for D.C. Plane Crash https://t.co/95n1erCpq4
— Magnus Flaherty (@FlahertyMagnus) January 30, 2025
After a swift backlash, Sellers deleted the incriminating post, possibly realizing that invoking Trump while bodies were being recovered was not exactly what one might call a “good look.” In his attempt at redemption, he acknowledged his error, saying that “timing matters” and that he definitely “f***ed up.” While understanding what true decorum means might take more time, at least he was finally willing to own up to his gaffe.
As for Trump and Vice President JD Vance, they offered their condolences and support for the first responders. They shifted focus back to the victims and their families, leaving the finger-pointing to partisan commentators like Sellers. In contrast to his misguided antics, their responses resonated with empathy and a call to monitor a situation too serious for petty politics. It seems in moments of genuine tragedy, the really big words—the kind that bring people together—are always better than more noise from the left.
