Biden Answers Questions About Ohio During Florida Visit
President Biden has been criticized for failing to visit a small Ohio town devastated by a freight train derailment months ago, which spewed pollutants and contaminated local water.
Biden was asked why he hadn’t yet visited East Palestine since the February 3 derailment when he was giving a press conference in Live Oak, Florida on Saturday in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. The president responded, "I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on here, and I just haven’t been able to break."
Biden promised to visit East Palestine "at some point" back in March, but he has yet to travel to the area. He was also criticized for flying over the town in August without stopping while en route to Milwaukee.
One week after the Ohio derailment in February, Biden embarked on an eight-day family getaway to Nevada, and he followed that with multiple trips to Delaware. As reported by the New York Post, the president has spent roughly 40% of his presidency on personal overnight trips away from the White House, more than any other president before him.
This means that despite the interruption in vacation plans, Biden has yet to visit East Palestine even six months after the derailment. The incident has become a lingering reminder of the president’s failings, tainting his humanitarian notions.
In East Palestine, locals were reportedly experiencing respiratory issues for days after the disaster. Biden's failure to visit and address the predicament has caused outrage among residents and officials alike.
Ohio GOP spokesman Evan Machain stated,“Joe Biden’s trip to Nevada instead of a visit to East Palestine just goes to show that he doesn’t care about the people of the Buckeye state.”
The White House has yet to offer a statement on Biden’s absence from East Palestine, though it’s clear that the president has prioritized his vacations over visiting the town, despite the persistent outcry.
While locals have been dealing with the ramifications of the disaster, Biden has been vacationing and going about his daily business, seemingly ignoring the grief of the people affected.
The absence of a presidential visit may not make or break the situation in East Palestine, but showing compassion and addressing the issue does go a long way in creating unity and solidarity.
That being the case, it’s unclear when or if Biden will visit the Ohio town, as he has yet to schedule a date for a visit to the area. His failure to do so has resonated throughout his presidency and continues to haunt the people of East Palestine.