Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addressed his critics this weekend, particularly those claiming his recent trip to East Palestine, Ohio — from an optics standpoint — occurred only because of former President Donald Trump's train derailment site visit the previous day.
"That's bull****," Buttigieg told CNN. "We were already going to go."
On Feb. 22, Trump visited East Palestine to meet with village leaders and residents, bringing with him truckloads of water and other necessary supplies for people in need.
Later that afternoon, Buttigieg tweeted: "Happy to discuss timing of our Ohio visit — but starting to think some in Washington want that to be the main focus so that there aren't too many questions about rail safety regulation, who is for and who is against. We will hold the line on railroad safety and accountability."
And on Feb. 23, Buttigieg visited East Palestine — 20 days after a 38-car train derailment that led to a toxic chemical spill and massive chemical explosion.
The atmosphere for Buttigieg's visit was more subdued than Trump's Ohio trip.
In fact, one report chronicled how Buttigieg had to wait outside a hallway to speak with East Palestine Mayor Trent R. Conaway, who was meeting with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the time.
During his CNN interview, Buttigieg acknowledged that he should have gone to East Palestine earlier in February.
Buttigieg also had a response for those mocking his choice of leather dress boots for the East Palestine visit.
"Who cares what shoes I was wearing, when I was there to draw attention to an agenda that will save lives on our railroads?" Buttigieg asked.
According to CNN, no previous transportation secretary had ever visited a train derailment site prior to Buttigieg trekking to Ohio.
"The experience was searing," said Buttigieg, according to CNN. "I could get technical readouts, information about the response. But I think it was important to hear and see how the community was responding, what they were worried about it just a different way that you can sense on paper.
"It just feels different," added Buttigieg.
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