A transgender member of the National Guard is speaking out after false claims spread across social media, wrongly identifying her as the pilot of the Black Hawk helicopter involved in a fatal mid-air collision with a passenger jet in Washington on Wednesday, which killed 67 people.
Jo Ellis, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot for the Virginia Army National Guard, took to Facebook on Friday to refute the rumors. These false accusations mirrored unsubstantiated claims by President Donald Trump, who attempted to blame diversity initiatives for the tragic crash.
“Some craziness has happened on the internet, and I’m being named as one of the pilots of the DC crash,” Ellis wrote. “It’s insulting to the victims and families of those lost—they deserve better than this BS from the bots and trolls of the internet.”
In her Facebook post, Ellis shared screenshots of posts from X (formerly Twitter) that falsely linked her gender identity to the accident. One user suggested they “wouldn’t be surprised” if “the pilot was trans,” while another falsely claimed Ellis had made “radicalized anti-Trump statements” on social media. The latter account later deleted the post and issued an apology.
Another account, which had a blue checkmark and 13,600 followers, posted a now-deleted message directly attacking Ellis and spreading the baseless conspiracy theory. Although the account later issued a correction, the false claim had already garnered nearly 195,000 views and was reshared nearly 1,000 times before being taken down.
By the time these corrections were issued, “Jo Ellis” was the No. 3 trending topic on X, with more than 19,400 posts discussing her. Despite Ellis’ efforts to set the record straight—including a follow-up Facebook video titled “Proof of Life”—far-right accounts on X continued to spread misinformation and hate speech.
Ellis’ unwarranted scapegoating in right-wing circles follows her recent interview on The Smerconish Podcast, where she discussed her military service and experiences with gender dysphoria. She had also previously written an essay for Smerconish’s newsletter about transitioning while serving in the military.
Misinformation and Trump’s DEI Attacks
The wave of hate speech against Ellis echoes President Trump’s recent attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Since returning to the White House, Trump has aggressively targeted transgender Americans, declaring in his inaugural speech that “there are only two genders: male and female.” He also reinstated his 2017 ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, reversing a policy change made under President Joe Biden in 2021.
In his first White House press briefing, Trump linked the fatal plane crash to DEI policies, blaming Democratic initiatives for the accident.
“We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” Trump said. “I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary—you remember that.”
He went on to assert that only those with the “highest aptitude, intellect, and psychological superiority” should qualify for air traffic control positions.
In a Thursday White House memo, Trump further blamed the Obama administration for implementing “a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude.” Without evidence, he accused the Biden administration of rejecting merit-based hiring and prioritizing DEI initiatives, including recruiting individuals with “severe intellectual disabilities” in the FAA.
Neither Trump’s memo nor his press conference provided any factual basis for these claims. When pressed by a reporter to explain the link between diversity hiring and the crash, Trump simply replied, “Because common sense—and unfortunately, a lot of people don’t have it.”
DEI Scapegoating in Right-Wing Politics
Baseless attacks on DEI policies have become a cornerstone of Trump’s political platform. He is not alone in linking disasters to diversity initiatives.
Following California’s deadly wildfires, Elon Musk posted on X that “DEI means people DIE,” while other right-wing figures blamed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the first woman and second Black person to hold the position. Some conservatives even pointed fingers at Kristin Crowley, the city’s first female and openly gay fire chief, accusing her of mishandling the crisis that claimed 28 lives.
Other tragedies have similarly been politicized. Rep. Dan Meuser told Fox News that New Orleans’ deadly New Year’s Day explosion was due to “the priority of the last four years being DEI, not IEDs.” Meanwhile, former Maryland gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman blamed the Baltimore Key Bridge disaster on “governors who prioritize diversity.”
As misinformation continues to spread, Ellis’ experience highlights the dangers of false narratives fueled by political agendas. Despite efforts to correct the record, far-right figures and social media trolls continue to exploit tragedies to push anti-DEI rhetoric, targeting individuals like Ellis in the process.
