The residents of East Palestine, Ohio, are anxious about the recent train derailment that has spilled enormous amounts of toxic waste in the immediate area. The safety of drinking water is supposedly safe, but residents are suspicious, and rightfully so, as the Biden administration hasn’t been transparent or consistent in advising locals about the toxic spill. You can’t say the area is safe when railroad workers at the crash site are getting sick, something the unions brought up to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this week. And to top it all off, Joe Biden still doesn’t plan on visiting, with CNN expounding on why that might be the case (via Fox News):
CNN's Miguel Marquez claimed Monday that President Biden could be "digging up toxic muck" in East Palestine, Ohio, and it wouldn't move the "needle" with the residents following the toxic train derailment.
"CNN This Morning" host Poppy Harlow asked if he believed East Palestine residents care if President Biden visits or not.
"I don't think they really care," Marquez said. "They love Donald Trump. Joe Biden could be out there in a, you know, in a hard hat and protective gear and a shovel, digging up toxic muck, I don’t think it would move the needle very much in this area. But they’re doing, you know, Pete Buttigieg met with the mayor privately after that meeting. The mayor, who had been very critical of the administration said, ‘You know what? I’m more satisfied than ever. I’m cautiously optimistic that not only will we get through this but East Palestine will be better because of it.’"
We’ve discussed how Biden’s hesitance to visit Ohio was probably due to the political composition of the area; it’s Trump country. It’s rural, white, and Republican—there’s no political gain going, but that’s irrelevant when you’re the president of the United States. Biden must go even if these people hate his guts, which they probably do. Pete visited, which was the right decision despite devolving into a public relations fiasco. I’m sure that’s an accurate statement regarding Biden visiting East Palestine—it wouldn’t move the needle. Despite that, he's still obligated to do it.