President Donald Trump began his White House briefing with a moment of silence and a prayer for the victims of Wednesday’s crash at Reagan National Airport.

Donald Trump has confirmed there are no survivors of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a helicopter above Washington DC. But he also sought to exploit the crash politically as he attacked diversity hiring and Joe Biden.

In a social media post, Trump questioned the tactics of the military helicopter and the air traffic controllers — both agencies that report to him as the president.

President Trump delivered a statement on the deadly plane crash near Washington, D.C., calling it a "dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital." The president said the federal government would be "working tirelessly" to figure out what happened as responders shift to a recovery operation.

Officials believe there are no survivors after an American Airlines passenger jet collided with a helicopter above Washington DC and plunged into the Potomac River. Nearly 30 bodies have been pulled from the river,

President Donald Trump held a press conference to share his condolences and praise the hard work of first responders following the deadly mid-air collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington,

President Trump posted on social media that Wednesday's midair plane crash above Washington, D.C., "looks like it should have been prevented." CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro has more.