When asked by journalists about a hypothetical trip to East Palestine, Biden replied he was not planning to do so at that time, though the incident (occurred on February 3) endangered residents and wildlife.

Instead, former President Donald Trump, alongside Republican Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and other GOPers, capitalized on Biden´s situation and campaigned in East Palestine on Wednesday in order to lash out at Biden’s recent crisis handling.

Local residents and environmental advocates expressed frustration with the response to the incident, and some said messages from federal and state authorities are contradictory, as well as alleging a lack of transparency about what happened.

Biden’s recent agenda went beyond the American borders and prioritized his stay in Ukraine. There, last Monday, he met and spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and announced to send $500 million in supposed aid as part of a package that would include more equipment, artillery ammunition, javelins and howitzers.

After official handshake, Joe Biden also announced his government would announce this week some additional sanctions on Moscow-related companies.

Several people criticized Biden’s trip and said he is neglecting domestic issues such as migration crisis and homeland security, to go and tout his alleged concern for Ukrainians.

For East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, learning about Biden’s sojourn to other lands while his city grappled with a huge disaster “was the biggest slap right in the face that means right now that President Biden doesn’t care about us.”

“So … he (Biden) can send all agencies he wants, but I found out he was in Ukraine giving away millions of dollars to the people there, not to us, and I’m furious,” Conoway added.

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