There’s an old saying in politics: Never let a crisis go to waste.
It looks like former US president Donald Trump heeded that advice during Wednesday’s visit to disaster-stricken East Palestine, Ohio, site of a 50-car derailment earlier this month.
Trump made the visit even though he no longer has the ability to declare the town a disaster area ― or any of the other things a president can do in the event of a tragedy.
But what he does have is chutzpah and, apparently, a whole bunch of bottles of Trump water lying around.
So the former president brought the water, which was labelled Trump Spring Water, to East Palestine, along with some other bottled water he said was of “a much lesser quality”.
Trump in E. Palestine: “We’re bringing thousands of bottles of water - Trump Water, actually. Most of it. Some of it we had to go to a much lesser quality of water. You want to get those Trump bottles.” pic.twitter.com/Y6UITcgGrz
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) February 22, 2023
Although some Twitter users speculated the bottles were actually Trump Ice, a designer water brand discontinued in 2010, the bottles were labelled Trump Spring Water, a brand available at various Trump properties.
The Independent noted that it couldn’t immediately verify what percentage of the bottles donated by Trump were branded with his name.
The water bottles and the desperate need to make himself the centre of attention amid a tragic situation reminded some people of the time in October 2017 when Trump tossed rolls of paper towels to Puerto Ricans whose lives had been devastated by Hurricane Maria.
Is he going to throw the bottles into the crowd? https://t.co/s3uNe7UkPd
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) February 22, 2023
This tops the paper towel toss in San Juan. Holy hell. https://t.co/DvVq8RDWU0
— scott linnen (@ScottLinnen) February 22, 2023
Other Twitter users had strong reactions over Trump’s visit to the town, whose residents have been left guessing about the quality of their municipal water supply after vinyl chloride and other chemicals were released in the derailment and scepticism remains about declarations the water is safe to drink.
Trump is using East Palestine disaster to market Trump water. I’d rather drink raw sewage. What a shameless asshole. Are the residents this easily fooled? Hey, at least y’all owned the libs when you voted for Trump, twice. pic.twitter.com/DUYMLkzAM4pic.twitter.com/sOVP86Mp1S
— WTFUSA😒 (@dudeonthebay) February 22, 2023
OMG,he makes it into a political branding show for Trump water. 🤦♀️ https://t.co/0yqbSBTY3g
— Diane Bernaerts 🇧🇪🇺🇦 🌊🌊🌊 (@DianeBernaerts) February 22, 2023
I think I would drink vinyl chloride straight up over 13-year-old Trump Water
— Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) February 22, 2023
Is Trump Water like Trump Steaks?
— Katie S. Phang (@KatiePhang) February 22, 2023
The people in East Palestine don't need bottled water with a splash of grift. https://t.co/oSaqPGdhCh
Some people speculated about how old the water might be.
Trump water been sitting in storage in plastic bottles for about 15 years, that's worse chemicals than the damn train derailment caused https://t.co/RHTvVhHfO9
— Baylor basketball enjoyer (@TWKsicem) February 22, 2023
So crazy that this ridiculous a-hole was our president.
— Rick G. Rosner (@dumbassgenius) February 22, 2023
(Trump Water went out of business in 2010 but might still be available at Trump properties, so maybe these poor saps won't be getting 13-year-old water.) https://t.co/N8JdB3MpeR
Is it from his bottled water company that went under in 2010?? So he gets rid of old stock & it becomes a tax deduction? Amazing.
— Sue Berch (@Planet_Sue) February 22, 2023
Others made jokes about the possible colour.
I don’t want to know what color Trump Water is pic.twitter.com/RgmV4U5i0D
— Tara Dublin (@taradublinrocks) February 22, 2023
If I lived in East Palestine, Ohio - there's NO waaaaaaaaaaaaaay I'd drink the Trump Water.#PeeTapespic.twitter.com/nH4MvGmwfP
— PaulLeeDicks (@PaulLeeDicks) February 22, 2023
However, one Twitter user took advantage of Trump’s visit to post an Access Hollywood clip from 2010 where Sylvester Stallone tries Trump Water in a blind taste test and says he wouldn’t wash his socks in it.
Please enjoy this 2007 video of Sylvester Stallone taste testing Trump Water and truly hating it.
— Jon Bershad (@JonBershad) February 22, 2023
Easily the second most embarrassing Access Hollywood clip involving Donald Trump. https://t.co/HyIV02cqSypic.twitter.com/spUZhpdbss
The former president may be attempting to politicise the disaster, but his legacy of gutting rail safety rules make any advice he might suggest regarding the Ohio disaster ironic, according to Sarah Feinberg, head of the Federal Railroad Administration in the final years of Barack Obama’s administration.
“The Trump administration rolled back and killed some regulations we had been working on; in many cases, they just stopped working on regulations altogether,” Feinberg told HuffPost. “The impression that the safety apparatus got was that what industry wanted, industry got.”