Former President Donald Trump hammered Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Wednesday afternoon and during his visit to eastern Ohio, where a train derailment early February spilled toxic chemicals into the air and water.
Trump visited East Palestine on Wednesday to speak with local residents and deliver pallets of water and cleaning supplies to the community more than two weeks after a Norfolk Southern trail derailed and a controlled burn released hazardous chemicals into the air to prevent an explosion. Trump denied that rail deregulations during his administration were relevant to the crash and said that the US is like a “third world country” and “breaking down” under Buttigieg’s leadership, according to a video filmed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: Trump To Visit Ohio Town After Toxic Train Derailment)
“He should have been here a long time ago,” Trump said. “Now he was supposed to come today but he heard I was coming today and postponed it, but whenever he comes he’s got to do his job and if we didn’t come, they never would have come.”
I’m in East Palestine, OH where residents are already lining up for an expected visit from former President Donald Trump.@dailycaller pic.twitter.com/83DvRhOqrS
— Alexa Schwerha (@alexaschwerha1) February 22, 2023
Buttigieg is scheduled to be in East Palestine tomorrow, 20 days after the initial derailment, Politico reported. He came under fire for his slow response to the disaster after he posted a Twitter thread 10 days after it occurred.
Trump denied allegations that his administration’s deregulation of railroad safety policies could have contributed to the derailment.
“It had nothing to do with it,” Trump said when pressed about his administration’s policy on rail regulations. “No, he’s got to work on the airports and we’ve never had airports like this. We’re like a third world nation and this is an example of it … our whole country is breaking down.”
Trump made a quick appearance outside an East Palestine restaurant Wednesday afternoon, where he met with residents lined down the street to welcome him. East Palestine voted heavily for Trump during the 2020 election, USA Today reported.
Residents told the DCNF that they were frustrated with President Biden’s recent visit to Ukraine. Trump said at the restaurant that “it’s terrible” he has not visited the village.
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