Democrat Senator Excuses Biden's Absence In Ohio

March 1, 2023

Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio made excuses for Joe Biden’s absence when asked about the president's decision not to visit East Palestine, where a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed.

Brown is up for reelection in 2024, but likely to face a tough opponent.

"During a press gaggle in Ohio, a reporter asked Brown about the consensus in East Palestine that Biden would not show up to the town, even after there was a 'need' for him. In his response, the Democrat senator excused his absence, noting that it doesn’t 'particularly' matter if he comes. Brown also stated that he has 'talked to his staff more than to him,'" reports Breitbart.

A reporter asked Brown: "What are your thoughts considering the need here in East Palestine that President Biden has decided not to come?" The senator answered:

Well, I don’t think whether the president shows up then and they have to close schools, and everything is disrupted is the issue of the… I’ve talked to the President, I’ve talked to DOT, the Department of Transportation, I’ve talked to them, the National Transportation Safety Board. All of them have their staffs here. I’m fine if I know that Buttigieg was here, I know the EPA Administrator was here. I don’t know if the President himself coming particularly matters, but I do know that his focus, I’ve talked to him. He called me from Warsaw to talk about what are we not doing that we need to do. I talked to his staff more than to him, but the staff or him twice three times a week, holding their feet to the fire and making sure they’re doing what they should be doing. So, whether he comes here or not is not, I don’t think, is a particularly big deal. Whether we are, his focus is on here and will continue to be.

"While Biden has not gone to the state — even though he was able to make plans to visit other countries on an international trip, including a surprise visit to Ukraine — Brown noted that EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have visited," reported Breitbart.

Trump, however, visited East Palestine to deliver truckloads of bottled water in addition to buying food for the police and fire departments. Trump also bought food for everyone who was in an East Palestine McDonald’s following remarks he made to the small town.

Source: Breitbart