Whether his visit to East Palestine, Ohio, was simply a photo-op or the catapult for his 2024 presidential run, former President Donald Trump was there for the victims of the recent toxic train derailment (“Trump assures community near Ohio train derailment ’you are not forgotten,’ dings Biden for no-show,” web, Feb. 22). These residents have genuine concerns about their air quality and water safety and they were let down by their nowhere-to-be-found president.

While many on the political left relish the thought of vilifying Mr. Trump, at least he cared enough to bring food, water and emotional support to the people of East Palestine. Apparently President Biden didn’t think the situation was important enough or as important as visiting Ukraine and Poland. But what could be more important to a U.S. president than serving the American people, especially the courageous residents of East Palestine, in their time of need?

JOANN LEE FRANK



Clearwater, Florida

Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Story Topics

Please read our comment policy before commenting.