Politics
East Palestine Mayor Humiliates Biden In Epic Statement, Suggests He Should Visit After Losing To Trump
In a recent interview on Fox, East Palestine, Ohio Mayor Trent Conaway firmly stood by his earlier critique of President Joe Biden’s response to the toxic explosion that devastated the town nearly a year ago.
In a statement that originally made waves after the incident, Mayor Conaway suggested that the most fitting time for President Biden to visit East Palestine would be in February 2025, humorously implying that such a visit would be more appropriate for a book tour – suggesting a Trump victory – rather than a meaningful engagement with the town’s urgent needs in the aftermath of the disaster.
“The best time for Biden to visit would be February 2025 when he’s on his book tour,” Conaway said in January.
The comments came to the forefront again during a recent interview with Kelly Severi of Fox Business. When pressed about his previous remarks, the Mayor unequivocally reaffirmed his stance, underscoring his deep-seated frustration with the current administration.
“I 100% stand by the comment about the book tour. I think that’s the best time for him personally,” Conaway said. “I think the best time for him to come would have been whenever this happened.”
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The backdrop to Mayor Conaway’s spat with Biden is the toxic explosion that occurred in East Palestine, which prompted immediate concerns over health, safety, and environmental impacts. In the wake of the disaster, the response from federal and state authorities was scrutinized, with community leaders and residents calling for more direct engagement and support.
Conaway’s initial invitation to Joe Biden, encapsulated in a letter sent a month after the incident, was a gesture of openness towards federal involvement, yet the subsequent lack of visible action from the White House has evidently led to a sharpening of the Mayor’s public expressions of disappointment.
Conaway has been a significant figure in the response to the derailment of the Norfolk Southern train in February of 2023. The Mayor has been vocal in his criticism and demands for accountability from both Norfolk Southern, the company responsible for the train, and federal officials regarding the response and support for the affected community.
The Biden administration had faced backlash in the aftermath due to delayed and inadequate federal response. Critics, including local officials like Conaway, consistently expressed their frustration over a lack of swift action to address the immediate and long-term impacts of the derailment, which involved hazardous materials and posed significant health, safety, and environmental risks.
The delay in high-profile visits and direct engagement from the administration contributed to feelings of neglect among the affected community members. However, President Donald Trump made it a point to beat the White House to the spot, paying a visit to the town. Just one month after the tragedy, Mayor Conaway endorsed Trump at a GOP dinner with Eric Trump.
“I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine yet, there’s a lot going on here and I just haven’t been able to break,” Biden said back in September.
“I was thinking I’d go to East Palestine this week, but then I was reminded that I’ve literally got to go around the world. I’m going from Washington to India to Vietnam to… and so it’s going to be wild,” said the president, who added that he is “making sure” the Ohio town had what it needed to survive the disaster.