Trump criticized the federal response to the Ohio train derailment

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EAST PALESTIN, Ohio (AP) Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized the federal response to the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as a betrayal during a visit to a village where residents and local leaders are increasingly frustrated inside two weeks after the disaster. .

The former president, who is mounting a third bid for the White House, donned his trademark red Make America Great Again cap as he said the community needs answers and results, not excuses.

In so many cases, your goodness and perseverance have been met with indifference and betrayal, Trump said at a firehouse about half a mile from where more than three dozen freight cars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials, exited on the path. The fiery and wrecked mess near the Pennsylvania state line appears to have followed a mechanical issue with a rail car axle.

Trump appeared with US Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway and state and local leaders and traveled by motorcade giving the visit the appearance of an official presidential visit.

The February 3 derailment led to evacuations and fears of air and water contamination after a controlled burn of toxic chemicals aimed at containing the explosion. The disaster became the latest front in America’s political divide, with Trump criticizing the federal response and the White House saying Trump could have done more as president to strengthen railroad and environmental regulations.

The trip offered Trump, who has held several events since he launched his campaign in November, a chance to reprise the role he often held as president: surveying disaster damage and meeting with residents following tragic events. He praised the staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, though he offered criticism.

He also donated cleaning supplies along with pallets of what he said was Trump-branded bottled water to residents concerned about the water coming out of their faucets.

Before leaving town, Trump stopped at a local McDonalds, where he lost his hat, ordered meals for first responders and grabbed food for the plane ride home. He also visited Little Beaver Creek to inspect the damage and greeted supporters who had gathered nearby to cheer him on.

Thank you for not forgetting us, a woman told him.

Have fun, everyone, Trump told them after signing autographs.

Trump, in his firehouse remarks, took issue with Bidens decision to make a surprise visit to Ukraine this week, saying he hoped Biden had money left over for the residents of East Palestine upon his return. Biden, who has not been to the Ohio town, was traveling back from Poland on Wednesday after marking the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Biden White House defended its response to the derailment, saying officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies were at the rural site within hours of the derailment. The White House said it has also offered federal assistance and that FEMA is coordinating with the state emergency operations center and other partners.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan visited the site last week to try to reassure skeptical residents that the water is safe to drink and the air is safe to breathe. And shortly before Trump arrived in Ohio, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced he would visit Thursday after also facing criticism for not arriving sooner.

Trump took credit for Buttigiegs’ trip and also criticized FEMA’s role in the response, accusing the agency of changing its tune after he announced his own visit to East Palestine.

The White House, however, said FEMA was involved from the start, though other agencies took the lead. Ohio Gov. said. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said Ohio received all the resources it needed from the federal government.

DeWine and FEMA announced on the same day as Trumps trip that FEMA would deploy additional federal resources to the site, but the timing appears to be a coincidence. Federal and state officials also said Norfolk Southern, the train company, will pay the full cost of the cleanup and other costs such as hotel stays.

Biden administration officials called the Trump administration’s decision to repeal an Obama-era Transportation Department rule that required high-hazard cargo trains carrying large amounts of flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol to have a more sophisticated, electronically controlled. brakes in 2023.

Buttigieg said this week that the Federal Railroad Administration would look into reviving that brake rule, though the NTSB said it would not help with this derailment because the train is not considered a high-risk flammable train. Only three of the 20 hazardous materials cars carried by the train were filled with flammable liquids. Regulators can now look at expanding which trains are covered by the high-risk rules.

Nearly three weeks after the derailment, the smell of chemicals that enveloped the village has largely disappeared, but some residents near the tracks say the smell still lingers inside their homes.

The village of fewer than 5,000 residents is near the Pennsylvania state line in Columbiana County, which has grown increasingly Republican in recent years. Trump won nearly 72% of the vote in the 2020 election, and the signs of his popularity remain clear.

At a car dealership in town, where bottled water is distributed, a picture of Trump leans against a barricade, reading, A Hero Will Rise. Signs and flags around the village support the broadcast for Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate.

Since the derailment, residents have complained of headaches, eye irritation and other ailments. Thousands of fish were found dead, and residents talked about finding dying or sick pets and wildlife. Residents are also frustrated by what they say is incomplete and vague information about the long-term impact from the disaster and have demanded more transparency from Norfolk Southern.

Gas spilled and burned after the train derailment contained vinyl chloride, a chemical used to make hard plastics, linked to an increased risk of certain cancers.

Environmental officials say they monitored air toxins during the controlled burn and that ongoing air monitoring including testing inside 550 homes has not found dangerous levels in the area since the permit was issued. the residents returned.

Residents like Cory Brittian, whose family owns an auto dealership in the heart of the village, praised Trump for his visit.

Any light that can be shed on the situation here, especially from the federal government, can only help, he said. ___

Associated Press writers Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.

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