The small community of East Palestine, Ohio, expressed their disappointment towards President Joe Biden for his delayed visit to the area after a train accident caused a significant chemical spill and fire. Upon Biden’s arrival, numerous residents stood along a commercial strip holding signs with messages such as “Too Little Too Late,” “Dementia Joe You Gotta Go,” and “Go home, Sleepy Joe!” as reported by the New York Post. A pool reporter accompanying Biden’s motorcade observed one protester displaying an offensive gesture, while others were seen giving a thumbs down in disapproval.
The Post added:
“At least two people carried pro-Biden signs, the pool reporter said, while others held up signs with pointed demands, such as “Declare the emergency,” “We need healthcare” and “We need aid.”
“Biden received a private briefing from officials, delivered a six-minute address and mixed with a select small group of locals at a candle shop before departing for a weekend stay at his Rehoboth Beach, Del., vacation home.”
Biden traveled to a town of 4,700 people situated about an hour west of Pittsburgh, after facing criticism for not being present there for a long time. Even though he had visited many other parts of the country after various unfortunate events, his absence from East Palestine was heavily scrutinized. The president’s visit was met with disapproval from critics who claimed that he was keeping his distance from a community that appeared to have little political importance to him.
“While there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100% preventable,” Biden said ahead of defending his administration’s response.
“Working with the state, we’ve tested the air, the water, the soil quality, deployed teams and health experts, and provided emergency loans to local businesses. But it’s not done yet. There’s more to do,” the president added.
“Today, I’m announcing the award of six National Institutes of Health grants to some of America’s best research universities to study the short- and long-term impacts of what happened here. That includes just north of here Case Western University. So you’ll have a top researcher with you as long as you need.”
Michael Regan, the EPA administrator, informed journalists accompanying him to the area that the worries about local health are exaggerated and assured that the air and water quality are not a cause for concern, as reported by The Post.
“I want to be clear that the monitoring that we’ve done of the municipal water, the private wells and the monitoring that we’ve done around the air quality demonstrates that there were no elevated levels of pollution exposure due to this derailment,” Regan said.
“We believe and know based on the science and the data that the air is safe.”
Former President Donald Trump received a warm welcome from large crowds during his visit to East Palestine in February 2023. He briefly stepped out of a private meeting with elected officials, such as Sen. J.D. Vance, to acknowledge a group of supporters chanting his name. The excitement and cheers of the crowd were captured in a video shared by The Post Millennial.
"We love you, President Trump!"
Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, show their appreciation for Trump during his visit. pic.twitter.com/CtRdCozjty
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 22, 2023