Staff Reports
The train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, has prompted some to speculate about a potential rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in 2024.
Although Biden has not yet announced his intention to run for re-election, first lady Jill Biden stated that he is committed to making another run.
The first candidate to officially enter the race for the 2024 presidential election was Trump in November. Since then, he has been steadily campaigning for his potential challengers.
According to Republican operatives and critics, Trump's recent trip to Ohio was mainly about how he would campaign throughout the rest of his term.
One of the strategies that Trump has been using is to target Biden. According to one operative, this strategy is similar to what he used in his successful 2020 campaign.
Another operative noted that Trump was referring to Biden's role in the government's response after the train wreck. For instance, after Trump's visit to the area, Biden sent additional resources to help with the recovery efforts.
Trump claimed that FEMA and Biden told him that they would not be sending aid to East Palestine. However, after Trump's visit to the region, Biden reportedly said that a team would be sent to help the residents of East Palestine.
White House officials noted that Biden has not yet visited East Palestine. They also noted that his team is not actively discussing the possibility of a trip to the area in the future. Some of Biden's supporters on the left noted that he was trying to run another basement campaign. However, three senior Democrats from the party noted that Biden is not trying to run another basement operation.
In 2020, Biden used his position as the Trump foil to position himself as the leader of the country against an unconventional enemy. With the COVID-19 pandemic largely over, Trump is once again using his position as the commander in chief to push for global condemnation of Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Officials from the Democratic Party noted that Biden's performance during the international stage and his numerous legislative victories during his time in office will be highlighted by the negative talk from Republicans.
One official noted that Biden underestimated the amount of success he would get during his time in office. Despite his shortcomings, the people of East Palestine can see that he is still committed to the country and its people.
Democrats insist that Biden has not completely ignored East Palestine.
In response to the incident, Biden has deployed a team of federal officials to the region to perform health tests. Before the arrival of Mayor Pete Buttigieg on February 23, Michael Regan, the administrator of the EPA, and Deanne Criswell, the head of FEMA, were in the area to assess the situation.
The federal government is also conducting an investigation into the cause of the train wreck. The company that was operating the train, Norfolk Southern, is under investigation. As a result, Biden ordered the company to cover the cost of the cleanup efforts.
Trump said it was clear that the incident was their mess, and they should clean it up.
On Monday, the White House revealed that federal officials went door to door in East Palestine over the weekend to assess the situation and provide residents with additional resources. They also conducted health surveys at the president's direction. Officials noted that the number of people who were contacted by the government over the weekend was expected to reach 400 by Monday.
Allies of Biden have pointed to the deregulation agenda of the Trump administration as a contributing factor to the tragic train wreck in Ohio.
In response, Biden criticized the actions of local officials and the last administration, saying that they have limited the ability of the federal government to implement safety measures. He also noted that many of them want to decommission the EPA, which is overseeing the cleanup efforts.
In addition, Biden noted that the rail industry has spent millions of dollars against the federal government in an attempt to prevent the implementation of safety regulations. Despite the opposition from the industry, he said that the government will still continue to hold rail firms accountable for their actions.
Despite the front-runners status of both Trump and Biden, a potential 2020 presidential campaign between them is still not a sure thing.
A recent poll conducted by the PBS and the Marist organizations revealed that only 50% of Democrats and independents think that Biden is the best choice for the party's presidential nominee in 2024. On the other hand, a majority of Republicans and right-wing independents think that the GOP can take back the White House if a candidate other than Trump is selected.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner
