President Donald Trump on Monday used a multi-casualty train crash to plug his promise to invest in the nation’s infrastructure.
Multiple people were killed after an Amtrak train crashed during its first trip on a new route outside Tacoma, Washington, a spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Monday.
The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2017
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the train accident in DuPont, Washington. Thank you to all of our wonderful First Responders who are on the scene. We are currently monitoring here at the White House.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2017
The President further addressed the incident during a speech later in the day.
Our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers are with the victims of the train derailment in Washington State. We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities… pic.twitter.com/Gyf5BdVm4G
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2017
Trump campaigned on the promise of a trillion-dollar investment in infrastructure projects nationwide.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean his administration supports spending that much in tax dollars. Rather, Trump administration officials have promoted a plan of funding so-called public-private partnerships — in other words, publicly financing a fraction of that total sum in exchange for private companies further investing in, and profiting from, infrastructure projects.
Unnamed White House officials told CNBC earlier this month that details of a plan could emerge in January ahead of Trump’s first State of the Union address.
This post has been updated.