Trump is taking advantage of the Ohio disaster in a way that’s eerily reminiscent of 2016 | Tayo Bero

Conservative dog-whistling about how white people in red states are pariahs was a tactic that helped Trump win a presidential election

As residents of East Palestine, Ohio struggle to pick up the pieces after a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals was derailed there nearly two weeks ago, rightwing media has seized on this moment to launch baseless conspiracies about why the government's response has been so poor.

According to them, the Biden administration has abandoned East Palestine because the people living there are white, poor and working class.

Tayo Bero is a Guardian US contributing writer.