Buttigieg Grilled on Late Arrival to East Palestine, Says He Juggled ‘Desire to Be Involved’ with ‘Desire to Follow the Norm’

AP Photo/Matt Freed

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg finally arrived to East Palestine, Ohio on Thursday to tour the site of the major train derailment from earlier this month.

But his arrival was met with apprehension and disappointment from residents and many reporters questioning him about his trip being a full three weeks after the disaster took place.

The train derailed on February 3rd and spilled various toxic chemicals into the area, which now has residents fearful for their health and safety.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Buttigieg was asked about the trauma that’s so evident amongst the community.

“There’s a lot of trauma in this community, a lot of emotion, and as you noted, a lot of politics too,” one reporter said. “Now that you’ve seen the records and spoken to the people, was it a mistake not to come here sooner?”

“Well, what I tried to do was balance two things,” Buttigieg replied. “My desire to be involved and engaged and on the ground, which is, how I am generally wired to act — and my desire to follow the norm of transportation secretaries.”

“Allowing NTSB to really lead the initial stages of the public facing work,” he added. “I’ll do some thinking about whether I got that balance right. But I think the most important thing is, first of all, making sure that the residents here have what they need.”