Donald Trump Jr. called attention to the environmental disaster in northeast Ohio with a racist jab.
A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, and residents were ordered to evacuate after authorities decided to breach five tankers filled with vinyl chloride to avoid an explosion, sending a toxic cloud into the air, and the former president's son suggested the catastrophe hadn't been sufficiently addressed because the village is predominantly white.
"Maybe if the people of East Palestine Ohio pretend they’re Palestinians from the Middle East the Biden administration will actually pay some attention to them and send them aid," Trump Jr. posted on his father's Truth Social website.
According to the latest census, East Palestine is 93 percent white, with only dozens of residents from other races, and some right-wing social media accounts have suggested that anti-white racism had prevented the federal government from assisting or inhibited media coverage.
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Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has asked Gov. Mike DeWine to declare the town a disaster area to obtain more federal resources and aid, but the governor's office said Thursday the state isn't currently eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency because it helps disaster-stricken communities pay only for property damage not covered by insurance.
A spokesman for the Republican governor said the derailment did not cause major property damage, adding that so far Norfolk Southern had been paying for environmental testing and assisting residents with other needs, such as bottled water.
DeWine issued a statement saying he'd spoken to White House officials and requested assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Emergency Response Team, and the Centers for Disease Control.
