Was the water that Trump handed out in Ohio actually 13 years old?

Former President Donald Trump boasted about giving residents in Ohio bottles of water but some suggest they could be 13 years old.

Since a major train derailment in the Ohio village of East Palestine on 3rd February which spilled toxic chemicals and prompted evacuation orders, many locals have been sceptical about drinking water from the tap, despite it being declared safe by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

During a visit to the area on Wednesday 22nd February, Trump dished out bottles of branded “Trump Water” along with pallets of other bottled water of “much lesser quality”.

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Trump said in a speech: “We’re bringing thousands of bottles of water - Trump Water, actually. Most of it. Some of it we had to go to a much lesser quality of water. You want to get those Trump bottles.”

But it wasn’t long before some made the connection that “Trump Ice Natural Spring Water” was a bottled water brand he formerly owned that was discontinued in 2010, meaning the bottled water he was handing out could be at least 13 years old.

Lawyer Tristan Snell tweeted: “So Donald Trump shreds the rail safety rules that would have prevented the East Palestine disaster, then he goes to East Palestine and brings them Trump Water that might actually be at least 13 years old (the business went under in 2010)? Got it.”

Comedian Paula Poundstone also tweeted: “I looked it up on a site called ‘Greener Choices’. The water in the Trump water will not expire, but the plastic bottle will leach chemicals into the water over time.

“Drinking water of 2-3 years old is not recommended. Trump Water was discontinued in 2010.”

However, images show that the water sent to Ohio was labelled “Trump Spring Water”, which is available at his properties, and did not appear to have the discontinued “Trump Ice” branding.

While the 13-year-old water theory was debunked, it didn’t stop people from criticising the former president, who is launching a comeback bid for 2024, for shamelessly marketing his own product during a disaster.

Someone pointed out: “His administration repealed safety rules for high-hazard cargo trains. Now he wants to turn a toxic derailment into a political branding show for Trump water.”

Another added: “OMG, he makes it into a political branding show for Trump water.”

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