President Biden will travel to East Palestine, Ohio in February to mark the one-year anniversary of the disastrous train derailment in the town, a White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Biden was heavily criticized at the time of the incident for never visiting the community in the weeks and months that followed. The official says Biden will discuss his administration’s “comprehensive, whole-of-government response” to ensure railroad safety.
Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether President Biden still had plans to visit East Palestine, Ohio. She told reporters, “The president will visit when it’s most helpful to the community.”
Fox reached out to East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway to find out when he thought the most helpful time would be, and he told Fox, in “my personal opinion the best time for him to come would be February of 2025 when he is on his book tour.”
President Biden will travel to East Palestine, Ohio in February to mark the one-year anniversary of the disastrous train derailment in the town, a White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Conaway additionally told FOX, “The President is always welcome to our town,” adding, “that being said, I don’t know what he would do here now.”
Fox News’ Patrick War contributed to this report
