A recent comment by Joy Behar, co-host of “The View,” has caused controversy as she suggested that residents of East Palestine, Ohio, got what they deserved with the Norfolk Southern trail derailment because they voted for former President Donald Trump.
Behar’s comments were made in response to co-host Alyssa Farah-Griffin’s criticism of President Biden for not visiting the Ohio community. However, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy rebuked the claim by Behar that Trump and his voters were to blame for the train derailment.
Homendy explained that the derailment occurred due to the wheel bearing failing on car number 23, and that the braking rule Buttigieg and Behar blamed Trump for repealing “would not have prevented” the disaster. Homendy also criticized those who were using the tragedy for political gain, stating that this is not about politics but about addressing the needs and concerns of the suffering community.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg falsely blamed Donald Trump for the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, claiming he was “constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation” and citing a “braking rule” that was removed in 2018 during the Trump administration.
However, Homendy pointed out that the rule Buttigieg mentioned would have only applied to high hazard flammable trains, and the train that derailed was a mixed freight train containing only three placarded Class 3 flammable liquids cars.
This means even if the rule had gone into effect, this train wouldn’t have had ECP brakes, according to Homendy.
It is important to stop spreading misinformation about the cause of the train disaster, as this is misleading a suffering community. Blaming one political party or group of voters for the disaster is not helpful and is divisive.
The focus should be on addressing the needs of the community and providing them with support during this difficult time. It is also important to avoid playing politics with tragedies, as it distracts from finding solutions and can harm the reputation of public officials.
In conclusion, Joy Behar’s comments that East Palestine residents got what they deserved because they voted for Trump are unfounded and divisive. The train derailment was caused by a wheel bearing failure, and the braking rule that Buttigieg and Behar blamed Trump for repealing would not have prevented the disaster.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stressed the importance of accuracy and avoiding spreading misinformation about the cause of the disaster. The focus should be on addressing the needs of the suffering community and avoiding playing politics with tragedies.
