Trump Buys Food for Residents, Firemen at East Palestine McDonald’s: ‘We’re Going to Take Care’ of Them

Residents await the arrival of former President Donald Trump, who visited the site of the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 22, 2023. Jeff Louderback/The Epoch Times

Former President Donald Trump purchased McDonald’s for police and fire department members as well as residents during his visit to East Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 22.

“We’re going to take care of the fire department, we’re going to take care of the police department, plus the people that are in here. They’re going to get a nice, free meal,” Trump told a McDonald’s cashier while surrounded by dozens of locals and officials.

Asked if he believes the water is safe, Trump responded: “It will be safe, it will be safe soon because FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] is now coming. They weren’t coming and now they’re coming and it will be safe.”

Trump’s arrival in East Palestine comes as residents are still recovering from the aftermath of a train derailment earlier this month that has left residents concerned about the long-term health impacts.

Earlier on Wednesday, the former President, who announced the launch of his 2024 presidential campaign in November, handed out bottles of water to residents in the area amid growing concerns over how safe local water is to drink following the derailment on Feb. 3.

Contaminated Water Excavated

The train, carrying about 150 freight cars, was traveling to Conway, Pennsylvania, from Madison, Illinois, when it derailed in East Palestine. Around 50 of the cars came off the tracks, of which 20 were carrying hazardous materials.

A controlled release of the hazardous chemicals on board was performed a few days later on Feb. 6. Those chemicals included vinyl chloride, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and butyl acrylate.

The controlled release also sent phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air.

Earlier on Feb. 20, Train operator Norfolk Southern said that around 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water had been excavated from the site of a train derailment along with 15,000 pounds of contaminated soil.

According to the train operator, the excavated contaminated soil and water will be transported to landfills and disposal facilities that are “designed to accept it safely, in accordance with state and federal regulations.”

“Additionally, a series of pumps have been placed upstream to reroute Sulphur Run around the derailment site,” the rail company said. “The affected portion of Sulphur Run has been dammed to protect water downstream.”

Residents Raise Health Concerns

Environmental experts and local authorities insist the water is safe, however, residents in East Palestine and surrounding areas have reported seeing dead fish in streams and animal illnesses. Others say they are having health reactions such as headaches and nausea and have broken out in rashes.

During his visit on Wednesday, Trump also took aim at the Biden administration’s response to the derailment.

“I think he should’ve come here. I think he should’ve been here. He should’ve been here, and he chose to go a different route,” Trump told Breitbart News from the Mcdonald’s restaurant, appearing to reference Biden’s recent visit to Ukraine.

Biden was in Kyiv on Monday to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and doubled down on Washington’s support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.

Biden, who has faced criticism from Republicans and locals in East Palestine for not visiting the town, said on Tuesday that he had spoken with Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) to address the derailment.

“I reaffirmed my commitment to making sure they have everything they need,” Biden said on Twitter. He also noted that a FEMA team had been sent to the accident site.