Biden promised he’d find the time to visit East Palestine, Ohio back in March this year, but seven months later the visit has failed to come to fruition. When asked about it at his press conference in Live Oak, Florida this Saturday in the wake of Hurricane Idalia, he simply said that “There’s a lot going on here, and I just haven’t been able to break.”
The tragedy occurred when a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine on February 3rd, and three days later a controlled burn polluted the air, soil, and water. Immediately following the disaster, resident’s seemed justly frustrated with the federal government’s response.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke up about the visit scheduling of East Palestine on April 10th, yet careful to not share any specific timing. Biden continues to assure the small town that he cares about the issues they are facing and that “they have what they need materially in order to deal with the problem.”
But if this is true then why has Joe Biden been spending so much of his time in places like Delaware, and more recently Lake Tahoe, Nevada with Hunter Biden and other family members? Why not prioritize the time to visit the citizens of East Palestine who need his help the most right now?
Biden’s comment, “I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine,” paints a picture of someone who doesn’t feel responsible for attending to the issue at hand. If Joe Biden, the leader of the Free World, can’t make the time to visit a town in such desperate need of assistance, who can?
With the president jetting off to other countries this week, the suffering people of East Palestine are still waiting for a visit from Biden that has yet to come. To quote President Biden himself, “We’re making sure that East Palestine has what they need materially in order to deal with the problem.” Is a visit from the President of the United States not part of the “what they need materially”?
WATCH
BIDEN: “I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on.” pic.twitter.com/YfQAt7DoYK
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 3, 2023
I don’t think I have to say this but it should be mentioned that anyone, any other president in history, would have visited the folks of East Palestine by now! It’s ground zero for a major disaster. We are all aware of Biden’s track record in avoidance. Just look at his aversion to the US southern border, but this feels so different. I have to wonder if he hasn’t visited because the air is still not safe there.