President Joe Biden said that he’s been too busy to visit East Palestine after the Ohio train disaster as criticism mounts over president’s ability to handle moments of crisis.
Biden has spent the past two weeks reeling from criticism over his handling of the Maui wildfires, while Saturday he was snubbed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on a visit after Hurricane Idalia.
Sunday will mark exactly seven months since the February 3 catastrophe. The commander-in-chief was ripped back in February for waiting to visit, eventually promising on March 2 that he would.
On Saturday, as he prepared to leave for his family compound in Delaware from the Idalia-ravaged Florida, he was again asked why he hasn’t visited, 166 days since promising to do so.
‘I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on here, and I just haven’t been able to break,’ Biden said at a press conference.
He then tried to suggest it has been on the 80-year-old’s mind of late but he’s just been unable to make time and get past global travel arrangements.
‘I was thinking whether I’d go to East Palestine this week, but I was reminded I’ve got to go literally around the world,’ the president continued. ‘I’m going from Washington to India to Vietnam.’
He then admitted there were no concrete plans to visit the town in GOP-run Ohio anytime soon.
‘It’s going to be a while, but we’re making sure that East Palestine has what they need materially in order to deal with their problems,’ Biden added.