Trump says there are no survivors following a midair collision

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that there were no survivors from the previous day's airborne accident between a military helicopter and a passenger airliner over the Potomac River.

“Sadly, there are no survivors,” Trump said from the White House briefing room on Thursday. He said he was speaking to the American people in a “hour of anguish” and asked for a moment of silence at the top of his remarks.

“The work has now shifted to a recovery mission,” Trump said, adding Wednesday was “a dark and excruciating night in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s history.”

The White House has "strong opinions" on what caused the airborne accident at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump stated in a briefing today.

“We did not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we’ll probably state those opinions now, because over the years, I’ve watched as things like this happen,” Trump said.

“We think we have some pretty good ideas, but we’ll find out how this disaster occurred, and we’ll ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” the president added.