Reactions from prominent Ohio political figures are pouring in after President Biden announced this week he will visit East Palestine, Ohio a year after the major train derailment that devastated the community and sparked calls for him to visit the town.
“Biden visiting East Palestine at this point is pure politics,” Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance posted on X. “What is he actually going to do for the people on the ground? That’s what matters, not political stunts.”
“Joe Biden refused to stand with the patriots of East Palestine when it really mattered. He could have united our country by showing support to a right leaning community, but instead he ignored them,” GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno posted on X.
“Now a year later, he’s showing up for a photo op to help his failing campaign.”
EAST PALESTINE RESIDENT SAYS HE SEES ‘RIGHT THROUGH’ UPCOMING BIDEN VISIT: ‘IT’S AN ELECTION YEAR’
President Joe Biden speaks during the United Auto Workers union conference at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC, on January 24, 2024. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
“Governor DeWine has always encouraged President Biden to visit East Palestine,” the Ohio governor’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Actions of course speak louder than words, and the fact that it has taken Joe Biden so long to visit East Palestine is a sad reflection of his priorities,” GOP Senate candidate and State Senator Matt Dolan, who has been endorsed by several East Palestine officials, told Fox News Digital.
“It’s important that his absence does not obscure the hard work that has been done by local leaders, first responders and many others who have worked to demand accountability and results for the people of East Palestine.”
TERRIFYING THINGS WE IN EAST PALESTINE STILL DON’T KNOW SINCE TRAIN DERAILMENT
President Joe Biden speaks during an event at Earth Rider Brewery in Superior, Wisconsin, US, on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (Nicole Neri/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ohio GOP Senate candidate and Secretary of State Frank LaRose told Fox News Digital “too little too late is President Biden’s legacy on East Palestine and every issue facing our Nation.”
“We need leaders in Washington who will fight for the people of the Ohio Valley, and that’s what I’ll do on day one in the U.S. Senate.”
“Too late, President Biden,” Ohio GOP Congressman Jim Jordan posted on X. “Ohioans deserve better.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the office of Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown but did not receive a response.
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Workers are seen on Tuesday, Feb. 21, cleaning up derailed train cars in East Palestine, Ohio, following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern freight train derailment. (AP/Matt Freed)
The White House announced on Wednesday that Biden will travel to East Palestine sometime in February “to meet with residents impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment, discuss Federal support to the community, and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.”
Biden was heavily criticized at the time of the incident for never visiting the community in the weeks and months that followed.
“The president has been very clear, any time there is a situation that happens in a community that is devastated by, whether it’s a derailment or a natural disaster, obviously, the president says this all the time, he is there for that community for as long as it takes, and he’s proven that,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Piere told reporters on Wednesday in response to a question regarding criticism over the timing of the visit.
“So he’s looking forward to going to East Palestine in February. We’re going to find a day that works best for the folks on the ground, he always said that when the time was right, when it was the most helpful for him to be there, he was going to be there.”