It's hardly surprising that Joe Biden wasted no time politicizing the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. With people still missing, he announced that the federal government was going to bear the cost of rebuilding the bridge and called on Congress to support it.
“It is my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort," he declared. "We’re going to pay for the bridge to be rebuilt and opened.”
The language here is very important. He's taking full ownership of the effort to get taxpayers to foot the bill. He's making it all about him, and it's because of the upcoming election. With voters on both sides of the aisle panning his response to the Israel-Hamas war, Biden's handlers have no doubt been looking for an opportunity for him to be seen as taking charge, and they found an opportunity in the Key Bridge collapse.
Reasonable people might ask why the taxpayers should be responsible for the costs of building a new bridge when it appears to have been human error that caused it and the company responsible for the ship should be held financially liable.
"You said the federal government is also going to pay for the repairs. I’m just curious, this was a ship that appears to be at fault. Is there any reason to believe that the company behind the ship should be held responsible?" a reporter asked the president on Tuesday.
"That could be, but we’re not going to wait if that happened. We’re going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and open," Biden explained.
"Do you plan to go to Baltimore, sir? And if so, how quickly?" someone asked.
"I do, and as quickly as I can," he said. "That’s what we’re working on."
Biden says he's not taking questions, then says he'll visit Baltimore "as quickly as I can."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 26, 2024
He said the same thing about East Palestine, Ohio — and it took him more than a year to visit. pic.twitter.com/xJU1FodZn6
Many will point out that Joe Biden similarly promised to visit East Palestine, Ohio when a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caused an environmental disaster, and it took him over a year. The Biden administration faced criticism for its slow response to East Palestine, and many believe that had it not been for Donald Trump, the Biden administration might never have given East Palestine the little attention it eventually got. It wasn’t until after Trump announced his intention to visit East Palestine that FEMA finally agreed to bring resources and assistance there. FEMA rejected requests for aid multiple times.
Related: After Ignoring East Palestine, Biden Scrambles to Help Silicon Valley
The Biden administration also only sent Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after Donald Trump announced his plan to go to East Palestine. Buttigieg’s visit took place a day after Trump’s, which is also when FEMA finally started to approve aid. Biden made excuses for months for not visiting East Palestine, but after a racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., he was on site within three days.
Something tells me that Joe Biden's response plan for Maryland, a blue state, will be much different than his response to the disaster in Ohio, a red state. I expect his public relations team is already planning his visit, staging every moment for the media, ready to portray Biden as in charge and the hero of the situation.
