Muir simply asked the president if he had talked with the mayor of East Palestine. Biden responded: “I can’t recall that I. I don’t think I’ve talked to the mayor. I talked to everyone else there multiple times. Talked to both the senators, both governors. And I’ve talked to everyone there to talk to. And we’ve made it clear that everything is available.”

That was the best this president could summon for a group of his fellow Americans, frightened and worried they may lose everything they’ve dreamed of and worked for?

He sounded more like a federal bureaucrat than a man who has spent a lifetime in politics portraying himself as “Lunch Bucket Joe,” identifying with the concerns of the so-called little guy. Yet, here he was with people sick in East Palestine, the soil and streams now tainted with dangerous chemicals.

But this president showed little empathy. No sense of urgency. And a surprisingly low amount of compassion for a man who is familiar with personal tragedies.

[The ‘Scranton Joe’ façade is just that — a chimera. Biden has little to no empathy for anyone except himself, his family, and anyone who can advance his political fortunes. That’s why ‘Amtrak Joe’ couldn’t be bothered to even take a peek at a massive derailment disaster zone and delayed a declaration that would have unlocked necessary funds for its abatement. The empathy illusion is entirely a media creation. — Ed]