President Joe Biden is facing criticism for visiting Ukraine before the Ohio town where a train carrying hazardous materials derailed.
East Palestine, Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway appeared on Fox News on Monday and was asked by host Jesse Watters what he thought about the presidentās trip to Ukraine.
āThat was the biggest slap in the face. That tells you right now he doesnāt care about us,ā Conaway insisted.
He went on, āSo ā¦ he can send every agency he wants to, but I found that out this morning that he was in the Ukraine giving millions of dollars away to people over there, not to us, and Iām furious.ā
The mayor added, āYeah, Presidents Day in our country, heās ā¦ over in Ukraine. So that tells you what kind of guy he is.ā
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On Monday, Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russiaās invasion, IJR reported.
The trip was kept closely guarded due to security reasons and had reportedly been in the works for months. And it was seen as a boost for Ukraineās government. Biden also used the opportunity to announce the U.S. would send Ukraine $500 million more in military aid.
However, he faced criticism for making the trip before he had traveled to Ohio after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed there earlier this month.
After the derailment, officials conducted a ācontrolled releaseā of vinyl chloride ā a carcinogenic chemical.
Since then, there have beenĀ reports of 3,500Ā dead fish in local waterways. There have also been reports ofĀ chickensĀ dying.
On its face, the optics are bad. Why would the president choose to travel across the ocean to a foreign country and announce millions of dollars of new spending there, while residents of a town in Ohio are facing an ecological disaster?
The trip to Ukraine took months to plan and put together. And it came at a symbolically important time: days ahead of the warās first anniversary and as Russia is preparing a major offensive.
It was a dramatic display of Russiaās failure to accomplish its original goal in its invasion, the impact the Westās assistance has had, and Ukrainiansā resilience that nearly a year later, the president of the United States was able to walk around Kyiv.
If Biden had canceled the visit, and it leaked, it would have been a blow to the Ukrainians ā and some conservatives probably would have found a reason to criticize him anyways.
However, it has been almost a month since the train derailed in East Palestine. And for a president who has spoken a lot about the countryās infrastructure and trains, it would have been reassuring to the residents of this small town to have the president visit and assure them they will not be forgotten.