Joe Biden may have handed former President Donald Trump a major win as his administration faces criticism over its handling of the train derailment in Ohio.
Trump will visit the town of East Palestine, Ohio where the derailment occurred next week, with the former president touting the trip on his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning.
The Biden administration has faced anger from local residents and criticism from many elected Republicans over its response to the incident, while neither Biden nor Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have yet visited.
However, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Michael Regan visited the site on Thursday.
The derailment on February 3 released highly toxic chemicals into the air, water and ground and has led to significant concern about the long-term effects on the local community.
On Saturday Trump shared an article on Truth Social about his planned visit to Ohio. Writing of those affected by the derailment, he said: “Great people who need help, NOW!”
In another post, Trump wrote: “Biden and FEMA said they would not be sending federal aid to East Palestine. As soon as I announced that I’m going, he announced a team will go. Hopefully, he will also be there. This is good news because we got them to ‘move.’ The people of East Palestine need help. I’ll see you on Wednesday!”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirmed on Friday that they will be providing assistance to Ohio after reportedly earlier telling Governor Mike DeWine‘s office that the state was not eligible for emergency help.