On Monday morning reports quickly came in regarding a “secret trip” Joe Biden took to Kyiv, Ukraine, which NBC News described as “a historic moment that carried huge symbolism ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”
The gushing over Biden continued with quotes from Kyiv residents who are so grateful Biden showed up.
“It gives a sense that we are not alone, we do have support, the biggest part of the world and greatest leaders are with us,” Evheniy Lazarenko, a manager at an IT company in Kyiv, told NBC News.
Another resident, Anna Myryasheva, reportedly told NBC News that Biden’s visit gave her “joy and hope.”
“It is remarkable that international partners are coming to see everything with their own eyes, despite the danger. As a person who lives in Kyiv, and expects heavy shelling soon, I feel great today,” she said.
Well, it must be nice for the people of Ukraine to feel like they’re not forgotten by the Biden administration, which has been funneling money to the war-torn country for nearly a year, while on the other side of the globe, residents in and nearby East Palestine, Ohio have been ignored for weeks.
But hey, kudos to Biden, right?
Also for Our VIPs: What Was China Quietly Doing in Moscow While Biden Was Making a Splash in Kyiv?
I’m sure the White House saw this as an opportunity to help strengthen Biden’s image as the commander-in-chief ahead of his eventual 2024 announcement, but this publicity stunt feels incredibly inappropriate given the current environmental disaster in Ohio to which Biden turned a blind eye.
If only his son Hunter had some business interests in East Palestine, maybe then federal assistance would not have been flat-out refused for weeks. As recently as this past Thursday, support from FEMA had been rejected. “The DeWine Administration has been in daily contact with FEMA to discuss the need for federal support, however, FEMA continues to tell Governor DeWine that Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s office said in a statement.
Had it not been for Donald Trump announcing on Friday that he’d be going to East Palestine the following week, it’s very possible that help from FEMA would still have been rejected. “Biden and FEMA said they would not be sending federal aid to East Palestine. As soon as I announced that I’m going, he announced a team will go,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
But hey, Joe Biden took a trip to Ukraine and we’re supposed to be impressed that he clearly cares about what’s going on there more than what’s happening to his own constituents. It’s funny because I remember Joe Biden saying he would “be a President for all Americans,” yet, right now, he seems to identify as the president of Ukraine, which has seen more money, aid, and attention from the Biden administration than American citizens in East Palestine ever will.
“Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said of Joe Biden.
Yeah, imagine how the people of East Palestine feel. Ukraine got the blank check, East Palestine got the blank stare.
At least President Trump is going there on Wednesday, and at least we know that there is a president who can give the folks there some joy and hope.
