Biden to visit East Palestine a year after toxic train derailment

President Joe Biden is heading to East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday to mark one year since a train derailment spilled hazardous materials and toxins into the environment that forced many residents out of their homes.

Biden will be briefed by officials and give remarks on holding Norfolk Southern, the railroad operating the freight train, accountable for the Feb. 3, 2023, spill.

Biden faced intense scrutiny for not visiting the Ohio-Pennsylvania border town in the immediate aftermath of the derailment.

Former President Donald Trump toured the area just weeks after the incident. He was flanked by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway and local first responders as he distributed water and supplies.

Trump had already announced he was running for the White House again and throughout the trip sought to paint Biden as ineffective in responding to the crisis.

«Unfortunately, as you know, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal in some cases,» Trump told residents.

Trump earlier this week again took aim at Biden, writing on his conservative social media platform: «Biden should have gone there a long time ago — for him to go now is an insult to those who live and work in East Palestine.»

Conaway, who has endorsed Trump in the 2024 race, invited President Biden to East Palestine this month. Conaway told the Associated Press he did so, despite political differences, for the benefit of the community.

«This is a trip that he has been wanting to make but wanted to make sure that it was the right time to do,» White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.

President Biden and the White House said after the spill he would visit East Palestine at some point but nothing was scheduled in 2023.