OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was humiliated by the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio when he visited the town that was besieged by a toxic train wreck.
The secretary visited the town the day after former President Donald Trump and he was not given a hero’s welcome.
Mayor Trent Conaway had the secretary sit and wait in a hallway for a half an hour as he spoke to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, The Daily Mail reported.
“I am grateful to Mayor Giuliani for being here to help us. My top priority is to ensure the health and safety of the people of this city and our region,” the East Palestine mayor said.
“I will work with anyone who wants to help East Palestine, and their partisan affiliation is irrelevant to me,” he said.
The mayor previously criticized President Joe Biden for visiting Ukraine and not coming to East Palestine when he appeared on Fox News.
“That was the biggest slap in the face. That tells you right now he doesn’t care about us,” he said.
“We’re in East Palestine, Ohio to help our fellow Americans in need. It’s not about partisanship or scoring cheap political points. I’m here to help as a former mayor with extensive crisis management experience. I’ve met so many great people and we will stay on top of this,” Giuliani said on Twitter.
We're in East Palestine, Ohio to help our fellow Americans in need.
It's not about partisanship or scoring cheap political points.
I'm here to help as a former mayor with extensive crisis management experience. I've met so many great people and we will stay on top of this. pic.twitter.com/viDSEbjAsP
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) February 24, 2023
The Daily Mail reported.
Giuliani also met with Representative Bill Johnson, whose Ohio district includes East Palestine.
Former President Donald Trump, who hired Giuliani as his personal attorney while in the White House, visited East Palestine on Wednesday, effectively sparking several other visits – including from Buttigieg.
Giuliani, who was mayor of New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, slammed the government’s response to the train crash, which spewed hazardous materials into the air, ground and water.
‘I’ve grown concerned about the lack of a response by our federal government to help the people of East Palestine,’ Giuliani said. ‘I wanted to offer my knowledge and experience when dealing with crisis’ management and most importantly—to help the people here who are our fellow Americans.’
Buttigieg’s self-described press person was not too thrilled to see reporters with their cameras when he visited East Palestine, Ohio.
The press person repeatedly asked the reporters to ditch their cameras and then she would speak to them. At one point police were called over by the Buttigieg team and police informed them that they could walk away from the reporters if they wanted to.
Rush Transcript:
HERNANDEZ: “Mayor Pete, why did it take you an entire two and a half weeks to actually get here to respond to East Palestine? Will you apologize to the residents of this city for — for the slow response, the government’s slow response? Do you have any apology?”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I am his press person, I can help you.”
HERNANDEZ: “Sure. Sure. Sure. Sure.”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I am his press person. I don’t want to –” [crosstalk]
HERNANDEZ: “So, can — can — can we ask why it took him almost three weeks to get here?”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “Sorry, I don’t want to do this on camera.”
REPORTER 1: “What was his personal time off while it was a tragedy happening here?”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I’m happy to talk to you guys off camera.”
HERNANDEZ: “And can we also ask you why, you know, he waited until President Donald Trump came here to actually make an appearance? This is a very important question that people across America would like to know.”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “I’m happy to have a conversation with you. I do not want to be on camera.”
As the reporter noted, Buttigieg’s trip comes the day after former President Donald Trump visited the site of the train disaster.
Trump arrived to provide aid in the aftermath of a train derailment and personally helped with the delivery of numerous truckloads of bottled water to the area. According to John Rourke, CEO of Blue Line Moving, the company transported a total of 13 pallets of water pallets to East Palestine to assist the small town.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Breitbart News, “President Trump is meeting with the citizens of East Palestine, and he will never forget them and what they are going through. Contrast that with Biden and the federal government, who have failed them from the beginning.”
“Cleanup crews ended up igniting five train cars to get rid of toxic chemicals in a controlled environment, which created a menacing plume of thick smoke that resembled a mushroom cloud. Images of the controlled detonation were later circulated on social media, sparking concerns around the nation. The incident resulted in about half of the town’s population being ordered to evacuate. While residents have since been told they are allowed to return to their homes, many are still concerned and want answers — but Biden and Buttigieg are nowhere to be found,” Breitbart added.
