President Joe Biden has no problem drinking water in East Palestine, Ohio, roughly one year after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed near the community, according to the White House.

“The president has no concerns with drinking the water in East Palestine,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday. “The [Environmental Protection Agency] is confident that the drinking water is safe. I’m sure some of you might remember when the EPA administrator, [Michael] Regan, was there in one of the many times that he visited, he drank the water there last year. So we have no concerns.”

Two weeks ago, Jean-Pierre said Biden would not take part in a “political stunt” during his trip to East Palestine on Friday after being criticized for delaying his visit.

“This is about this president being a president for everyone and showing up, showing up for this community,” the press secretary said last month. “That’s what this is about, not going to get into some sort of political stunts about drinking water. We’re going to focus about, is making sure that they have what they need. And the president was invited by the mayor and community leaders.”

On Feb. 3, 2023, 38 Norfolk Southern freight train carriages, several of which were carrying hazardous materials, left the track, some of them burning for days after the incident.

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“The president has always said when the time is right and when it made sense for him to go, he would go. And so, that’s what he’s doing,” Jean-Pierre said earlier this week. “He’s going to be on the ground. He’s going to get a briefing on what’s happening. He’s going to hear directly from the people of Palestine. And obviously this administration is continuing to make sure that Norfolk Southern is held accountable, and we want to make sure that we support the community as it moves forward.”

“They have said they do not want to be defined, the community does not want to be defined by this one event,” she said. “We’ve had those key important agencies, FEMA, including [the Department of Transportation] and others and EPA, obviously, on the ground since day one making sure that the community has what it needs. And we’re going to obviously continue to call on Congress to pass the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act.”