Biden visits East Palestine one year after train derailment

President Joe Biden visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday to speak to residents of the town roughly one year after a Norfolk Southern train derailment that saw authorities engineer a controlled release and burn of toxic materials that leaked from the railcars.

Biden's administration faced scrutiny for its sluggish response to the derailment, which occurred in early February of 2023. Former President Donald Trump arrived in town shortly after the accident and brought relief supplies. President Joe Biden, in March of that year, said he would eventually visit the town, a promise he repeated in September, before finally arriving Friday.

Speaking to residents of the town, Biden stated that "[w]hile there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100 percent preventable," according to The Hill. "We were pushing railroads to take more precautions, to deal with braking, to do a whole range of things that were not dealt with. Norfolk Southern failed its responsibility."

Biden appeared to receive a cold reception from at least some residents, with locals demonstrating against him and in support of Trump in the streets.

Happening now in East Palestine, Ohio. The messages is simple, “Too Little Too Late Joe!” The people of East Palestine want Trump back in office; somebody who actually puts #AmericaFirst, not Joe Biden, who puts foreign countries and illegal aliens above American citizens! No… pic.twitter.com/zoD9wOlpwk

— Ben Bergquam - Real America’s Voice (RAV-TV) News (@BenBergquam) February 16, 2024

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.