Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Tuesday the federal government’s response to the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals would have been different had it taken place in Washington, D.C., not East Palestine, Ohio, which is “politically conservative.”
“East Palestine, Ohio is not a huge place. It’s a town of about 5,000 people not far from Pittsburgh. For many years, East Palestine was known as the place that produced dishes and cups and pitchers for America’s hotels,” Carlson, an honorary member of the Daily Caller News Foundation board, said. “An enormous ceramics works there employed much of the town. It’s all gone now and predictably, East Palestine is much poorer for it, the median income is less than $45,000. East Palestine is overwhelmingly white and politically conservative. More than 70% of the voters in the surrounding counties supported Donald Trump in the last election. That shouldn’t be relevant but as you’re about to hear, it very much is.” (RELATED: ‘Everything’s Fine’: Tucker Carlson Rips Biden Admin’s Lack Of Concern Over ‘Toxic Smoke’ From Ohio Trainwreck)
A train carrying toxic chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 3, prompting evacuations and shelter-in-place orders as authorities moved to address the release of the chemicals. Officials warned of a possible “catastrophic blast” Feb. 6 and conducted controlled burns of the chemicals, resulting in toxic smoke being released into the air, according to the Cincinnati Inquirer.
WATCH:
“This train derailment was a environmental disaster. Not an environmental disaster like climate change is, but an actual environmental disaster, one that’s hurting actual people. Then it got worse. Several days after the derailment, officials decided it was a good idea to set fire to the spilled chemicals,” Carlson said, before lighting into Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
“Pete Buttigieg announced something called ‘Transit Equity Day’ that’s yet another day that we celebrate race-based federal funding that despite the train derailment does not apply to East Palestine because the people that live there are the wrong color,” Carlson said. “So, instead Buttigieg’s DOT announced an $80 million project to improve the roads in Philadelphia and $24 million for the roads in Detroit, both of which vote Democrat, and then Mayor Pete talked about perhaps the most pressing problem in the country, which is that we have too many white construction workers.”
Buttigieg made the comments about construction workers Monday during a panel discussion at the National Association of Counties conference. He later commented about the derailment in East Palestine via a thread on Twitter, expressing concern.
“Imagine if this had happened in well, the favored cities of Philadelphia and Detroit. Lots of poor people in those cities and everyone feels for them, everyone wants them to be safe. Imagine at the same time this had happened in Washington D.C., in, say Georgetown,” Carlson said. “Well, the National Guard would be called in, there’d be no mushroom cloud of toxic chemicals on the horizon, we can promise you that and of course, in both cases had this affected the rich or the favored poor, it would be the lead of every news channel in the world. But it happened to the poor benighted town of East Palestine, Ohio, who’s people are forgotten and in the view of the people that lead this country, forgettable, so no big deal.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.