Lame-Duck Democratic Mayor Says He Ignored Calls From 2-0-2 Number, Ended Up Being Biden
Harold Hutchison on June 18, 2023
Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia said Saturday he ignored calls from a number with the 202 area code, which turned out to be from President Joe Biden.
Kenney and Biden were among officials speaking at a press conference to address the response to the June 11 collapse of a portion of Interstate 95 northbound in Philadelphia after a truck carrying fuel caught fire and exploded underneath the bridge. The southbound lanes, which didn’t collapse, were reportedly compromised by the fire that killed one person.
“He called me,” Kenney said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I didn’t call him — he called us. He called us about this. And he was always there.” Kenney added that a staffer had to tell him “the president’s calling you” before Kenney finally answered the phone.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited the site of the collapse Tuesday, CBS Philadelphia reported, promising assistance to get the interstate reopened.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania announced Saturday the highway would reopen in two weeks, Fox News reported.
“We are going to get traffic moving again thanks to the extraordinary work that is going on here,” Shapiro said during the press conference.
“There’s no more important project in the country right now as far as I’m concerned,” Biden said, according to Fox News. Demolition of the damaged highway was completed days ahead of schedule, Fox News reported.
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