WATCH: Biden visits East Palestine, Ohio, one year after deadly train derailment
Addressing residents, Biden said he wants them to understand “that we're not going home, no matter what, until this job is done, and it's not done yet.” He did not explain why he didn't visit sooner nor did he address the community's collective hurt.
“The sentiment from residents has been: Where were you a year ago?” Young said. “Too little, too late. And now Biden shows up at election time.”
The White House has said Biden was waiting for the right moment to make the trip. He visited after being invited by the village’s mayor.
Signs of the community’s still-hurt feelings were evident. Some people shouted profanity at Biden as his motorcade whisked him into town from an earlier stop in Darlington Township, Pennsylvania, where he greeted local officials and first responders. A sign invoked the illness of the president’s late son, Beau, who died of brain cancer.