Three East Palestine, Ohio residents slammed President Joe Biden over his long-awaited visit Friday on Fox Business, claiming that many are still unable to drink tap water due to the Feb. 3, 2023 derailment of a train hauling toxic material through the community.
Residents Zsuzsa Gyenes, Linda Murphy and Chris Albright appeared on “The Bottom Line” to discuss their reactions to Biden’s visit over a year after a train derailment led to toxic chemicals spilling into the soil and waterways. The Fox hosts began by asking the residents their thoughts behind the president’s visit; all three called out Biden over the issues they are still facing. (RELATED: ‘Too Little, Too Late’: East Palestine Residents Needle Biden’s Response To Toxic Derailment, Protest Ahead Of Visit)
“I was under the impression he was going to speak to the community today but we were not able to figure out how to get into that conversation so I have just been hanging out in the cold for several hours hoping he would meet with residents but I’m not really sure that he has,” Gyenes stated.
“Did you have a question you were going to ask him and if you did what was that question going to be?” Fox guest host Charlie Hurt asked.
“What he would do if it were his own family. I know his oldest son had passed away from a cancer that was caused by similar chemical exposure, I would love to know what he would’ve done if he were in my position,” Gyenes stated.
Murphy and Albright echoed Gyenes’s sentiments of Biden when asked what they had expected from the president’s address. While Murphy noted she is now “convinced” there needs to be a political leadership change, Albright claimed that if Biden cared he would have visited a “long time ago,” calling it a “political stunt.” (RELATED: Congressional Candidate Says Biden EPA Has Acted Like ‘Gestapo,’ Mistreated Residents In East Palestine Cleanup)
“I don’t think he ever had any intention of addressing the residents. I didn’t really expect to hear what I did here. You know, I expected the EPA to get a pat on the back. I don’t know what assistance he thinks he’s been giving here through the government — residents aren’t seeing it. I think there’s two things we need and I’m convinced of that now: we need President Trump back and we need Dr. Rick Tsai as District Six congressman here in East Palestine, Ohio. That’s what we need, I just don’t — I’m really running out of hope. Really running out of hope,” Murphy stated.
“It really doesn’t surprise me at all. I really believe that this was a political stunt for him. If he really cared about us he would have been here a long time ago. There are a lot of people in this town — we need healthcare, we need to be taken care of and he has completely dropped the ball on any action at for East Palestine,” Albright stated.
As the Fox hosts brought up issues with government funding for the town and continuing struggles, Hurt questioned Gyenes if she knew of anyone still drinking tap water within East Palestine. Both Murphy and Albright could be seen on screen shaking their heads “no,” while Gyenes stated that “bottled water” is still an “unmet” need for the community.
“I know a lot of people are still drinking bottled water and are in need of bottled water. I am actually still displaced in a hotel over a year later with nowhere to go. We had to leave our home due to the chemicals inside of our home and the sickness inside of our home. We have so many unmet needs, bottled water is definitely one of them,” Gyenes said.
Following the incident in Feb. 3, 2023, Biden declined to immediately visit the site, instead sending other administration officials such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Multiple federal agencies have since arrived to address the community’s needs. By the end of the month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered the railroad company behind the derailment, Norfolk Southern, to “conduct all necessary actions associated with the cleanup,” working out a plan for all “steps necessary,” according to a press release.