Donald Trump Uses His East Palestine Visit To Send a Message
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Last month, on February 22nd, former US president Donald Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio as part of his campaign trail for his 2024 presidential bid. This visit comes only a few weeks after a controversial train derailment in the village which caused a fire, and leaked toxic chemicals some of the cars were carrying. It quickly became clear that Mr. Trump’s visit to East Palestine had a number of political objectives.
Mr. Trump used his visit to attack Mr Biden’s administration and the federal government’s response to the derailment, suggesting they were showing “indifference and betrayal” by not visiting the site. He described East Palestine’s community as the “tough and resilient heart of America” and commented that they were waiting for the president to “get back from touring Ukraine”, which Mr. Biden was visiting at the time. This type of discourse is part of a wider strategy within the Republican party which seeks to portray Mr. Biden as overly concerned with international politics and dismissive of issues at home.
Despite the lack of foundation to Mr. Trump’s claims, given the presence of key agencies on the ground and orders for Norfolk Southern – the company in charge of the railroad – to clean-up and cover the expenses, reported in the New York Times, these may be compelling arguments for voters in the 2024 elections. Public support for American aid to Ukraine for instance, which is likely to be a key talking point in the run-up to the next elections, has considerably decreased, according to a paper by think tank Chatham House. Mr Biden and the Democrats will, therefore, have to navigate this carefully if they want to stay on the right side of public opinion.
The White House hit back at Mr Trump, criticising Republican lawmakers and Mr Trump’s administration for their policies while in office, which prevented increased regulation for the rail industry. In a statement, they argued “Congressional Republicans laid the groundwork for the Trump administration to tear up requirements for more effective train brakes,” which may have prevented accidents such as the one in East Palestine.
Another aspect of Trump’s visit to East Palestine concerns the way he conducted the visit, and how he portrayed himself. In an article by the New York Times, the visit was described as “more traditional and subdued”. Given Mr Trump’s preference for large and loud rallies, the relatively small gathering at the East Palestine firehouse where he gave his talk, stands out. Similar comments were made in articles by the Financial Times and The Guardian with regards to the rallies in New Hampshire and South Carolina, which kicked off Mr. Trump’s campaign trail earlier in the year. The Guardian also highlighted his decision to present his South Carolina campaign leadership team at Columbia state capitol, given Mr Trump’s usual portrayal of himself as ‘anti-establishment’.
This change in tone comes at a time where Mr Trump’s leadership of the Republican party is coming increasingly under fire and is no longer undisputed. This is due, in part, to the failure of his candidates in last November’s midterms, to disillusionment due to his erratic behaviour and unfounded claims, and to a belief that alternative candidates such as Ron DeRosi have a better chance of uniting Republicans and winning the next election. While Mr Trump hasn’t completely changed his character, criticising ‘Fake News’ during his visit to East Palestine, the more formal and disciplined tone of his rallies is likely to be an attempt at persuading disillusioned Republicans that when need be, he can be ‘measured and presidential’.
There is still a long way to go for Mr. Trump on his road to the 2024 presidential elections, but already we can see the two central challenges he faces. On the one hand, in order to sway indecisive voters, he must show the American public that he cares more and will do more for them than the Democrats . However, on the other hand, he must persuade the Republican voter base that he is the person they can and should rally around, in order for the Republican party to have a realistic chance in the next elections. Whether or not he will achieve this is yet to be decided.