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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
Residents of the small community of East Palestine, Ohio, tore into President Joe Biden for waiting more than a year to visit the area following a train wreck that ignited a massive chemical spill and fire.
Dozens of area residents lined a commercial strip to greet Biden, 81, with signs that said “Too Little Too Late,” “Dementia Joe You Gotta Go” and “Go home, Sleepy Joe!” the New York Post reported.
The outlet added that a pool reporter traveling in Biden’s motorcade noted that one angry protester “was giving the middle finger” while several others were “giving the thumbs down.”
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.”
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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 made a trip to the town of 4,700 located approximately an hour west of Pittsburgh, following a prolonged period of criticism due to his conspicuous absence. Despite visiting numerous other regions of the country in the aftermath of tragedies and disasters, his absence from East Palestine drew sustained scrutiny.
The president’s visit came amidst criticisms from detractors who accused him of maintaining a distance from a community that seemingly held little political significance for 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.”
EPA administrator Michael Regan told reporters traveling to the community that local health concerns are overstated and that the air and water are safe, The Post noted.
“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.”
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump was greeted by huge crowds when he visited East Palestine in February 2023.
At one point, Trump left a private meeting he was having with elected officials, including Sen. J.D. Vance, to address a crowd of people chanting his name. Hoops and hollers could be heard from those assembled, according to a clip posted 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
“We love you!” one person can be heard yelling.
Trump arrived to provide aid in the aftermath of a train derailment and personally helped with the delivery of numerous truckloads of bottled water to the area. According to John Rourke, CEO of Blue Line Moving, the company transported a total of 13 pallets of water pallets to East Palestine to assist the small town.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Breitbart News, “President Trump is meeting with the citizens of East Palestine, and he will never forget them and what they are going through. Contrast that with Biden and the federal government, who have failed them from the beginning.”
