Let’s be clear: with three simple words, former President Donald Trump made absolute fools out of President Joe Biden and his Cabinet.
I’m not a political strategist, but honestly, you don’t need to be one to understand that the Biden administration could have saved mountains of embarrassment and negative press by taking a few hours this week to make an appearance in East Palestine, Ohio, in the wake of the toxic train derailment.
Showing up is what leadership is all about, yet the only places Biden showed up to this week were Poland and Ukraine, where he doled out more of your hard-earned tax money — another $500 million, to be exact.
Like any other compassionate and caring American, Trump understood that our friends in Ohio needed a leadership figure on the ground for a few hours to provide comfort and support. With many people in the town feeling “forgotten,” as Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) told Axios, a strong leader showing up and telling them everything will eventually be all right is what the fine people of East Palestine needed for that little boost to keep them going.
One reporter fired off the perfect question as the former president mingled with attending reporters, asking Trump if he had a message for President Biden.
“What’s your message to Joe Biden?” Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez shouted.
“Get over here,” Trump responded.
I asked President Trump what his message to Joe Biden was.
His response: “Get over here.” pic.twitter.com/eX9pKargCq
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) February 22, 2023
What a simple yet powerful call to action. “Get over here.” That’s all Biden — or Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — had to do. Send Vice President Kamala Harris for that matter. Literally, anyone from the White House would have probably headed off the bad optics at the pass.
But in typical fashion, the Biden administration flubbed what would have been a quick and easy — and let’s be honest, sorely needed — PR victory.
Making the situation exponentially more embarrassing for Biden’s White House is the fact that Trump went above and beyond by delivering several pallets of bottled water and food to the residents of the town, many of whom fear the local water supplies might be tainted as a result of the toxic chemicals from the train fire and the subsequent firefighting measures to contain it.
At the same time, it was undoubtedly fresh on the minds of East Palestine residents that Biden’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had denied the town federal assistance for weeks. That changed, super conveniently, after Trump announced last week that he would be visiting the area.
Trump and his people teamed up with Blue Line Moving and 2Fellas Moving to help bring the water and food pallets to the people of East Palestine. And it was well received.
Tens of thousands of pounds of goods, food, water being delivered to the people of East Palestine, Ohio right now before Trump’s visit.
Trump paid for all of it.
Number of goods delivered from the Biden Administration: 0. pic.twitter.com/QQADqZl9Uy
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 22, 2023
Trump also bought McDonald’s for countless local first responders and diners inside the restaurant. The former president even indulged his local fans by signing “Make America Great Again” hats. It was a powerful and simple gesture that clearly put much-needed smiles on the faces of local residents.
As Tucker Carlson recently pointed out about Trump’s appearance in Ohio Wednesday, “He’s not able to fix the problem. It’s not like he’s the Secretary of Transportation. But Trump did bring pallets of bottled water and then bought the entire fire department dinner at McDonald’s. Whatever you think of Trump, at least he cared enough to go there. That’s something.”
Speaking of Buttigieg, after intense pressure and an embarrassing, cringeworthy moment with a female Daily Caller reporter, he announced that he would go to East Palestine on Thursday.
PJ Media’s Matt Margolis noted:
After previously indicating he would go to East Palestine, Ohio, only when the time was right, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is now scheduled to travel to the site of the train derailment and environmental disaster on Thursday—which, coincidentally, is a day after Donald Trump’s visit upstaged the Biden administration.
At this point, it’s simply too late, Pothole Pete. However, seeing the locals’ reaction to the secretary’s embarrassingly late visit to the area will be interesting.
Something tells me that the optics for the Biden administration are about to go from really bad to utterly humiliating.
via pjmedia