EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Former President Donald Trump bought food for the police department, fire department, as well as everyone who was in an East Palestine McDonald’s on Wednesday after he delivered remarks at the town’s fire station nearby.
“So is everybody willing to accept free food from Trump?” the 45th president asked upon walking into the McDonald’s off Market Street in East Palestine, Ohio.
“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 was heard telling the McDonald’s cashier.
On Wednesday, President Trump visited East Palestine, where he delivered truckloads of thousands of bottles of water to residents of the small Ohio town following a train derailment that spewed toxic chemicals.
Former President Donald Trump speaks in East Palestine, Ohio. (Alana Mastrangelo/Breitbart News)
While in the McDonald’s, Trump also told Breitbart News that President Joe Biden should have been in East Palestine but “chose to go a different route” — referring to Biden’s recent trip to Kyiv, Ukraine.
“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 said.
The 45th president also responded to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg falsely claiming that a proposed rule regarding ECP brakes that the Department of Transportation (DOT) withdrew in 2018 was to blame for the train disaster in East Palestine.
“It had nothing to do with it,” Trump said. “We’re like a third-world nation, and this is an example of it, the breakdown.”
“Our whole country is breaking down, and [Buttigieg]’s really got to look at the airports because I have people that are taking planes, and they’re delayed. They’re waiting in an airport for three days. It’s crazy what’s happening,” Trump added.
Trump also stated that Buttigieg “should have been here [East Palestine] a long time ago.”
Obtained by Breitbart News
After being asked if the water is safe to drink in East Palestine, Trump said, “It will be safe soon because FEMA is now coming in. FEMA was not coming and now they’re coming in.”
Last week, after it was revealed that Trump planned to visit the small town, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) decided to deploy federal services to East Palestine — despite previously telling Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) that the train derailment incident was ineligible for FEMA assistance.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
