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On the surface, Donald Trump’s plan might seem sensible, at least from a purely political perspective. East Palestine, Ohio, is still trying to recover from a disastrous train derailment and chemical release, and Republicans have tried to exploit the fact that some prominent Biden administration officials have not yet visited the local area.
With this in mind, the former president saw an opportunity: He’d visit this reliably red community in a reliably red state, appear concerned, blame Democrats, and claim the high ground.
There is, however, one big hurdle in the way: Trump’s record. Politico reported this morning:
Donald Trump’s visit to the site of a toxic train derailment in Ohio is offering a political opening to battered Biden administration officials — by calling new attention to the former president’s record of rolling back regulations on both rail safety and hazardous chemicals.
In general, Trump’s record on rail safety and hazardous chemicals has been easily overshadowed by the former president’s many other scandals, and the issue hasn’t generated broad national attention.
But by trying to exploit the East Palestine community, the Republican has brought all of this back to the fore. From Politico’s report:
Trump’s administration withdrew an Obama-era proposal to require faster brakes on trains carrying highly flammable materials, ended regular rail safety audits of railroads, and mothballed a pending rule requiring freight trains to have at least two crew members. He also placed a veteran of the chemical industry in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical safety office, where she made industry-friendly changes to how the agency studied health risks.
The Trump administration also tried to slash the EPA’s budget for investigating and prosecuting environmental crimes.
Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican member of Congress, told Politico, in reference to Trump’s trip, “It’s clear that it’s a political stunt. If [Trump] wants to visit, he’s a citizen. But clearly his regulations and the elimination of them, and no emphasis on safety, is going to be pointed out.”
The former president, in other words, is inadvertently drawing fresh attention to something he should probably try to hide, effectively leading with his chin.
For his part, President Joe Biden issued a statement last night, updating the public on his administration’s efforts, including the EPA ordering Norfolk Southern to pay for the clean-up and disposal of hazardous materials. He also commented on why the Department of Transportation can’t go further in implementing new rail safety measures.
"For years, elected officials — including the last [administration] — have limited our ability to implement and strengthen rail safety measures. Heck, many of the elected officials pointing fingers right now want to dismantle the EPA — the agency that is making sure this clean up happens," Biden wrote. "Rail companies have spent millions of dollars to oppose common-sense safety regulations. And it’s worked. This is more than a train derailment or a toxic waste spill — it’s years of opposition to safety measures coming home to roost."
Trump has been on the wrong side of this fight for years — a fact that we’re reminded of thanks to his own scheduled appearance in East Palestine.