Three residents of East Palestine, Ohio, denounced President Joe Biden's long-awaited visit on Friday's FOX Business show, saying many people died after a train transporting toxic materials derailed in the area on February 3, 2023. claimed that they still cannot drink tap water.
Residents Zuza Guinness, Linda Murphy and Chris Albright appear on “The Bottom Line” Biden's visit comes more than a year after a train derailment spilled toxic chemicals into soil and waterways He talked about his reaction to. The Fox hosts first asked residents their thoughts behind the president's visit. All three criticized Biden for issues they still face. (Related article: 'Too little, too late': East Palestinian residents ignore Biden's response to harmful derailment, protests ahead of visit)
“I thought he was going to talk to community members today, but I didn't know how to participate in that conversation. So I went to a few places hoping he would meet with residents. He was hanging out in the cold for hours, but I'm not sure if he did that,” Guinness said.
“Was there a question you were going to ask him? If you did, what would that question be?” Fox guest host Charlie Hart asked.
“What would I have done if it were my family? I know his oldest son died of cancer caused by exposure to similar chemicals, but I want to know what he would have done if he were in my shoes.” “I think so,” Guinness said.
Murphy and Albright echoed Biden's sentiments when asked what they expected from the president's speech. Mr Murphy said he was now “convinced” that a change in political leadership was needed, but Mr Albright argued that if Biden had cared, he would have come “a long time ago” and said this called it a “political stunt.” (Related: Congressional candidate says Biden EPA acted like a 'Gestapo' abusing residents in East Palestine sweep)
“I don't think he had any intention of speaking to the residents. He never expected to be here to hear what he did. You know, I was hopeful that the EPA would have his back. I don't know what kind of help he thinks he's having through the government here. — residents don't see it. I think we need two things, and I'm convinced of that now. One is we need President Trump back, and the other is we need Dr. Rick Tsai as the 6th District Representative here in East Palestine, Ohio. That's what we need, but it's not for me — I'm really running out of hope. I really lost hope,” Murphy said.
“Really, I'm not surprised at all. I truly believe this was a political stunt on his part. If he really cared about us, he would have been here a long time ago. There are a lot of people in this town. There are people. We need medical care, we need to be taken care of, and he completely dropped the ball on every action for East Palestine,” Albright said.
As the Fox host brought up the issue of government funding for the town and the continued struggle, Mr. Hart asked Mr. Guinness if he knew anyone in East Palestine who was still drinking tap water. While Murphy and Albright could be seen shaking their heads “no” on screen, Guinness said “bottled water” remained an “unmet” need for the community.
“I know that many people still drink and need bottled water. In fact, more than a year later, I am still sheltering in a hotel with nowhere to go. Because of the chemicals in the house and the illnesses in the house, we had to leave the house. We have a lot of unmet needs, but we also have bottled water. That’s definitely one of them,” Guinness said.
After the Feb. 3, 2023, incident, Biden declined to make an immediate visit to the site, instead sending other administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Multiple federal agencies then arrived to respond to the needs of the community. By the end of the month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had ordered Norfolk Southern, the railroad company behind the derailment, to “carry out all necessary actions related to the cleanup” and all “necessary A plan has been formulated for “measures to be taken.” according to Go to press release.
