Trump 2nd term updates: Trump says USAID is run by 'radical lunatics'

President Donald Trump signed an executive order appointing the acting commissioner for the FAA in the Oval Office.

It came hours after he announced he was immediately appointing Christopher Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran of the agency, in the wake of the deadly plane crash in Washington. "He's a very capable guy," Trump said of Rocheleau as he signed the order.

The president also signed a memorandum directing the transportation secretary to make sure the administration's actively undoing the Biden administration's DEI policies.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

President Donald Trump took several questions about the plane crash as he sat in the Oval Office.

"Mr. President, to be clear, are you saying race or gender played a role in this tragedy?" ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers asked.

"It may have. I don't know. Incompetence might have played a role. We'll let you know on that," Trump said.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump held a press conference where he -- without evidence -- claimed DEI initiatives were partly to blame for the deadly collision. No determination of fault in the crash has been made, and the National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation.

Trump was also asked if he had plans to visit the crash site.

"You tell me, what's the site? The water ... I don't have a plan to do that, but I will be meeting with some people that were very badly hurt with their family member, obviously, but I'll be meeting with some of the families," he said.

After the deadly plane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was with the Coast Guard being briefed in Anacostia, according to a department spokesperson.

Noem posted photos of her on the scene on X with the caption: "Our Coast Guard saw the collision and immediately responded. Our cutter was the first boat on the scene of the tragic DCA plane crash."

"This morning, I went to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling first thing to see the rescue & recovery operations from the water and offer all resources of the Department of Homeland Security to help support multiple agencies & first responders," she wrote. "Please pray for the families of all the victims and the safety of all those involved."

This crash is one of the first major disasters that Trump’s administration is facing. It’s Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first week in their roles, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s first full on the job was on Thursday.

-ABC News' Selina Wang and Luke Barr

The Cuban Foreign Ministry said it "rejects" Trump's decision to use Naval Station Guantanamo Bay as a migrant facility, warning that altering the stability could cause serious consequences.

"It is a demonstration of the brutality with which that government is acting to supposedly correct problems created by the economic and social conditions of that country, the government's own management and its foreign policy, including hostility towards countries of origin," the ministry said in a statement.

The "irresponsible use" of the military installation "would threaten peace and lend itself to errors, accidents and misinterpretations that could alter stability and cause serious consequences," the statement added.

Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to permit the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to use Guantanamo Bay to house up to 30,000 migrants.