Ohio’s Eastern Palestine — While Donald J. Trump criticized the federal response to the train catastrophe that shook this Ohio city, he frequently complimented Senator JD Vance, a man he assisted in becoming a member of Congress.
At a fire station in eastern Palestine on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said to media and local leaders, “JD Vance was great.
Mr. Vance, 38, was at the center of a dispute between Democrats and Republicans over the role of the federal government in the wake of the catastrophe. Some of his actions were what any seasoned politician would have done in the same situation. In addition to meeting with some of the locals most impacted by the derailment and chemical leak, he has sent letters encouraging federal officials to exercise greater caution. He has however joined far-right Republican politicians in painting the northeast Ohio community of Deep Red Village as a lost town, borrowing a leaf from Mr. Trump’s grievance politics playbook.
Mr. Vance stated in a statement, “I grew up in a place that was ignored by the national media and impacted by a lot of foolish policies.
As he hurriedly left the firehouse on Wednesday, Mr. Vance said in a brief interview, “I grew up in a place that was overlooked by the national media and impacted by a lot of dumb policies. “I am concerned that many people will be forgotten and left behind if we don’t keep up the pressure on federal lawmakers and the businesses that caused this mess.”
The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers are to blame for removing Obama-era train security measures intended to stop incidents like the East Palestine derailment, according to the White House, which has dismissed such Republican criticism. Additionally, Mr. Vance has been accused of fueling the embers of white resentment by criticizing the Biden administration for abandoning white Americans by at least one media critic.
