In a striking display of bravado, Bay Area Rep. Eric Swalwell unleashed a torrent of criticism against President Donald Trump following the tragic plane collision that left 67 people dead near Washington, D.C. during a virtual press conference. Swalwell essentially labeled Trump’s response as “clownish,” which is a generous way of saying he treated a national tragedy with all the seriousness of a whoopee cushion.

While praising the air traffic controllers and first responders who tackled the chaos, Swalwell couldn’t help but point out that Trump has been busy playing political poker, recently firing key officials at the FAA and TSA as if they were mere pawns in a game of Monopoly.

“These air traffic controllers work tirelessly, day and night, under immense pressure to keep us safe,” Swalwell noted, making it clear that they deserve our respect and adequate staffing. He went on to lament how Trump’s personnel changes could have directly impacted the dire situation.

Trump’s initial reaction also drew heat for his suggestion that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives somehow contributed to the catastrophe. Uh-oh. In Swalwell’s words, the former president’s comments were not just absurd but “clownish”.

“While search and rescue teams were busy pulling bodies from the water, the president missed his opportunity to act as the ‘consoler-in-chief’ and instead resorted to spinning a web of disinformation,” Swalwell asserted. “The only explanation for such ridiculous accusations is pure incompetence”.

He went on to elaborate that this is the Trumpian formula: noun, verb, DEI. When faced with a crisis, it seems all the former president can think to do is point fingers and misplace blame.

Against the backdrop of this tragedy, first responders, including police, paramedics, firefighters, and military personnel, rushed to provide aid, embodying the best of our community spirit. However, Swalwell kept asking the million-dollar question: where was Trump amid this chaos?

As recovery efforts persist with 28 bodies retrieved from the icy depths of the Potomac River, Swalwell insisted that it’s high time for the former president to show up for a change. What Trump does in the coming days, he said, will significantly impact whether Americans feel anxious or safe as they head for airports.

So as we navigate this tragic loss, let’s keep our eyes on how our leaders handle such harrowing events because if they show us anything, it’s that sometimes the greatest tragedies reveal the clowns in charge.