Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called out former President Donald Trump for not commenting on the deaths of the six immigrant workers killed in the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month.
“I’ll take care to avoid talking about campaigns while I’m sitting here, but just at a human level, it would be helpful for the former president to weigh in here and show the solidarity that we’ve seen from most, if not all, elected officials on either side of the aisle because of the human nature of what happened,” Mr. Buttigieg said on MSNBC Sunday.
Mr. Buttigieg was responding to host Jen Psaki pointing out that Mr. Trump had not spoken about the six workers who were filling potholes on the bridge when the Dali cargo ship lost power and crashed into the bridge, causing it to collapse and sending the workers into Baltimore Harbor.
“We count on so many workers in this country, many of them immigrants, to do these vitally important infrastructure jobs. They’re not glamorous. They’re not the highest-paying jobs in the country, but they’re absolutely essential,” Mr. Buttigieg said.
“At a human level, showing some regard for that is very important. And that’s what characteristically President Biden was doing when I was with him in Baltimore on Friday,” he said.
Mr. Biden visited the site and pledged to rebuild the bridge and get the port back working.
“We’re coming back, we’re coming back soon,” Mr. Biden said. “We’re gonna move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly, as humanly, possible. And we’re gonna do so with union labor and American steel.”
He said previously that the federal government would fund the entire cost of the rebuild, causing criticism from Republicans.
The usually outspoken former president has all but ignored the disaster. His only comment about the collapse was seen through him sharing a clip of Fox News host Sean Hannity criticizing Mr. Biden for making the bridge collapse “all about himself,” on his Truth Social account.