Video from a statement by Donald Trump
President Trump answers reporters' questions about the flydubai flight incident, in the Oval Office, Sept. 30, 2026.
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Video: The White House (posted on X by @RichSementa). Public domain (U.S. government work) (opens in a new tab)
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: Video; the exchange on whether the co-pilot wanted to crash the plane runs from about 3:31 to 3:37; posted 21:16 UTC on September 30, 2026)
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on September 30, 2026, President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu at length about the flydubai incident and that "it seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job," and that he stabbed the pilot. He relayed an account of an Israeli passenger who took the controls and said, "I don't know if it's true." He then said: "They said he wanted to crash. They don't know that. They don't know that kind of information."
“It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job, and he stabbed the pilot. ... I don’t know if it’s true ... They said he wanted to crash. They don’t know that. They don’t know that kind of information.”