President Biden said he has not been able to find the opportunity to visit East Palestine, Ohio in seven months since the town suffered a train derailment and chemical contamination that brought it into the national spotlight.
Biden was speaking to the press in Live Oak, Florida Saturday in the wake of Hurricane Idalia when he was asked why he has not visited East Palestine. (RELATED: Biden Will Cut Delaware Weekend Getaway Short To Visit Florida Post-Hurricane)
BIDEN: “I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on.” pic.twitter.com/YfQAt7DoYK
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“I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine,” Biden said. “There’s a lot going on here, and I just haven’t been able to break. I was thinking that I would go to East Palestine this week, but I’ve been reminded I’ve gotta go literally around the world,” Biden continued.
“I’m going from Washington to India to Vietnam to, so it’s gonna be awhile. But we’re making sure that East Palestine has what they need materially in order to deal with the problem,” Biden concluded.
The president promised on March 2 that he would visit East Palestine “at some point” without giving any specifics. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at an April 10 press briefing that Biden still plans on visiting the small town.
A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine Feb. 3 and three days later a controlled burn released chemicals into the town that contaminated its air, soil and water. Nearly three weeks later, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went to East Palestine to meet with residents frustrated with the federal government’s response to the disaster.
Joe Biden cut short his planned weekend getaway to Delaware to visit parts of Florida impacted by the hurricane. The president has spent more than 20% of this calendar year in Delaware and recently vacationed in Lake Tahoe, Nevada with Hunter Biden and other family members.