U.S. grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft: Trump

The United States is grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft, said U.S. President Donald Trump Wednesday, as the country becomes the last major country to do so after two crashes by the model in recent months.

"All of those planes are grounded, effective immediately," Trump told a press event, referring to the Boeing 737 Max variations.

"The safety of the American people, of all people is our paramount concern," Trump said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement shortly after Trump's remarks it is ordering the temporary grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory.

The move came hours after Canada announced it is pulling Boeing 737 Max aircraft from the sky, indicating that the United States is bowing to the mounting pressure from the international community to ground the aircraft.

The United States is the last major country to halt operation of the questioned model, despite repeated calls from U.S. lawmakers, experts, and the public in the past few days for the FAA to prioritize safety.

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya crashed Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. A Lion Air of the same model crashed in October in Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.