Donald Trump’s visit to East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday, in the wake of a destructive train derailment, has raised questions about his administration’s rollback of rail safety regulations. During his visit, the former president donated pallets of Trump-branded water to residents, and assured them that they had not been forgotten.
Trump’s visit came nearly three weeks after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying vinyl chloride, a colorless gas and known carcinogen, derailed and released a plume of smoke over East Palestine. Trump’s visit preempted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s arrival by one day, and the former president castigated his Democratic successors, saying Buttigieg “should have already been here.”
During a press conference, Trump pledged to donate thousands of bottles of cleaning supplies and pallets of Trump-branded water bottles to members of the community, while donning his signature “Make America Great Again” hat and handing out red baseball caps. Trump also dismissed questions about his administration’s noted history of rolling back regulations on both rail safety and hazardous chemicals by saying he “had nothing to do with it.”
The Trump administration slashed several environmental and rail regulations while in office, most notably rescinding a 2015 proposal to require faster brakes on trains that were carrying highly flammable or hazardous materials.
The Department of Transportation under Trump justified the rollback with a 2018 analysis arguing the cost of requiring such brakes would be “significantly higher” than the expected benefits of the update.
Following his Wednesday news conference, Trump visited a local Ohio McDonald’s where he handed out more MAGA hats and bought meals for firefighters.
Trump’s visit to East Palestine has raised questions about his administration’s dedication to rail safety regulations, and the former president’s decision to donate Trump-branded water bottles has been seen as a self-promotional gesture, rather than a show of genuine concern for the town’s well-being.
