Former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio on Wednesday. He brought pallets of “Trump water”, food, and cleaning supplies. The residents of the small town were appreciative that Trump came and assured them that they were not forgotten.

Details of Trump’s visit were not released to the public, no doubt for security reasons, yet there were Trump supporters who stood out in the rain along the street waiting to wave to him as his vehicle drove by. Trump was accompanied by Donald Trump, Jr., Senator J.D. Vance, Rep. Bill Johnson, and East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway,

Trump met briefly with local leaders and first responders and the media at the local fire station. Though he did toss out a reference to fake news, Trump praised the media for covering the train derailment story and keeping it in front of the public. He told them he is donating thousands of bottles of cleaning supplies and pallets of bottled water that were collected through his Trump organizations.

Trump was complimentary of Norfolk Southern. He tried to reassure the residents of its commitment to the town.

“It means that the affected communities beyond the borders of East Palestine are going to be taken care of, and they’ve said so. They’ve said it loud and clear and I think they probably mean it,” Trump said.

Whether you are a Trump supporter or not, this is something that Trump does well – he gets out there and mingles with those who feel forgotten by their government, especially in crises. In contrast, Scranton Joe who campaigned as a friend to the working man is nowhere to be found. He was flying back from Poland as Trump was in East Palestine. Where is all that Biden empathy?

The New York Times article on Trump’s trip to Ohio was quick to remind readers of his trip to Puerto Rico after a devastating hurricane. Trump tossed around some rolls of paper towels to people in a light-hearted way, as though that made him evil. There was also no mention of Trump buying lunch for first responders and all of the patrons packed into McDonald’s during his visit to the fast food restaurant. That’s right – Trump bought lunch for the people at the fire station and all the people around him while he was there.

At an East Palestine firehouse where he met first responders and local elected officials, Mr. Trump, in remarks behind a lectern, said that “what this community needs now are not excuses and all of the other things you’ve been hearing, but answers and results.”

He suggested the administration had shown “indifference and betrayal” and he talked about how truckloads of his name-brand water would be distributed to residents, as local officials referred to him as “President Trump” or “the president.” And while he referred to the “Fake News,” he praised reporters for their coverage and, for a change, his emphasis on grievances was not primarily about his own.

Mr. Trump knocked Mr. Biden as absent after the episode’s fallout and suggested he was waiting for the president to “get back from touring Ukraine.”

Trump noted that it was only after his trip to the town was announced that Mayor Pete decided to make the trip, too.

Trump remarked to the crowd of supporters that “nobody” came to East Palestine until he announced that he was coming.

Trump wondered why FEMA was hesitant to commit to East Palestine, but had a reason why FEMA has since decided to help.

“When I announced that I was coming, they changed their tune. It was an amazing phenomenon,” Trump said.

Initially, FEMA was not called in for support. Over the weekend, members of the agency arrived.

The White House put out a snarky statement about Trump’s visit, putting the blame on his administration for the train derailment.

“Congressional Republicans laid the groundwork for the Trump administration to tear up requirements for more effective train brakes, and last year most House Republicans wanted to defund our ability to protect drinking water,” Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the White House, said in a statement.

That’s a pretty lame statement. The administration has no excuse other than to admit its own incompetence. They botched the response and they know it.

When Trump was asked about the Biden administration blaming him, he said he “had nothing to do with it.” On one hand, Mayor Pete, who remained silent on the derailment and the toxic chemical spill for a couple of weeks before making a statement, tried to convince people that train derailments are just business as usual, they happen all the time. On the flip side, the administration is busy pointing fingers at Trump because that is their default position on everything. It’s ridiculous.

Train derailments do happen. Fortunately, not all of them are transporting toxic chemicals. Mayor Pete is happy to celebrate Biden’s infrastructure bill so why isn’t he working on railroad safety issues? Isn’t he the guy that said he loves trains or something? Mayor Pete may need less personal time and more time in the office doing his job for American taxpayers. He works for us. All of us, not just blue-state Americans.