EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Former President Donald Trump came to show “love and support” Wednesday for this reeling village near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, almost three weeks after a catastrophic train derailment and the release of toxic chemicals left residents fearing for their health.
"To the people of East Palestine and to the nearby communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania, we have heard you loud and clear,” Trump, wearing his signature “Make America Great Again” hat, said during brief remarks at the local fire department. “You are not forgotten. We stand with you."
Amid lingering concerns about the town’s drinking water, Trump said he brought thousands of bottles of water and cleaning supplies to donate to residents. And he joined in the growing bipartisan criticism of Norfolk Southern, calling on the railway company to give East Palestine “answers and results.”
Pennsylvania state lawmakers are set to hold a hearing about the derailment Thursday in Beaver County, but the company has said it doesn’t plan to attend. The National Transportation Safety Board is also expected to release initial findings Thursday of its investigation of the derailment.
“Norfolk Southern needs to fulfill its responsibilities and obligations,” Trump said.
Trump’s appearance came during a busy week in East Palestine, with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg planning to visit Thursday and celebrity environmental advocate Erin Brockovich set to appear at a town hall Friday.
And it came as Trump ramps up his own comeback presidential bid. His visit Wednesday was only his third major public appearance since announcing his 2024 campaign in November.
While Trump and his allies used the appearance to highlight what they call the Biden administration’s failed response, it also put renewed attention on Trump’s record of easing railroad regulations when he was in the White House.
The Trump administration repealed an Obama-era rule mandating that trains carrying hazardous materials use electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, which allow them to brake faster. The regulation would not have applied to the Norfolk Southern derailment since the train was not classified as “high-hazard.” And a Department of Transportation analysis conducted during the Trump administration underestimated future damages from derailments by $117 million, The Associated Press reports.
"We are here in East Palestine to show love and support for our fellow Americans in this hour of need," Trump said in his afternoon appearance. After shaking hands with people lining a street before his speech, he praised the town’s police chief, mayor and other officials for doing “incredible work.”
East Palestine schools were closed Wednesday ahead of Trump’s visit. By 1 p.m., a few hundred people lined the sidewalks of North Market Street, some wearing Trump 2024 campaign emblems. East Palestine is in Columbiana County, which he won by overwhelming margins in both 2016 and 2020.
Chris Farran was among those dodging the rain and waiting to see the former president, who arrived about 2:15 p.m. Farran lives about 15 miles away in Canfield, Ohio. He met Trump at the Canfield Field Fair in 2015 when he was first running for president, and wanted the chance to see him again.
“I figured it was close by, so why not?” Farran said.
Undeterred by the rain, some set up tarps to stay dry and handed out slices from a nearby Pizza Hut to passersby.
Karen Speziale, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Diane Khosravi, of Houston, are sisters who grew up in East Palestine. Back in the area to visit their father, they decided to brave the weather to see the former president.
“We’ve been following this whole incident,” Khosravi said. “It was just coincidence we ended up here at the same time as (Trump).
“Any attention that the city can get is good,” she added. “They need to get the word out they just can’t forget them. Obviously he wants the national attention but at least he cares enough to come.”
Local and state lawmakers who joined Trump on Wednesday included East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio.
Criticism of Norfolk Southern and calls for stronger railroad safety measures mounted ahead of Trump’s visit.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan made his second visit to East Palestine on Tuesday and announced that the agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to conduct and pay for all cleanup.
And Buttigieg announced a package of reforms Tuesday aimed at improving train safety. Among his proposals were increased maximum fines against railroad companies for safety violations, paid sick leave for railroad workers and a safety program for trains carrying large volumes of hazardous materials.
"Profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people," Buttigieg said Tuesday.
As Trump’s motorcade rolled away Wednesday, a horn sounded and a Norfolk Southern train rolled down tracks about 50 yards from where the former president spoke.
Pam Smith came from nearby Darlington, on the Pennsylvania side of the state line, to see Trump. She said it was “surreal” to see trains keep passing through East Palestine.
“That train right there, you don’t even know what it’s carrying,” she said, pointing at the rail cars. “It could be anything.”
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