Despite the president’s ardent commitment to an “America First” strategy above all else, our allies continue to face issues of their own that do not at all necessitate us abandoning them.
Underscoring this point, this Tuesday, a bus became engulfed in flames and then exploded right in the middle of Rome. The explosion has been blamed on the poor maintenance issues plaguing the city’s public transit rather than on any sort of terrorist activity. No one was injured in the blast.
#Roma, #bus in #fiamme in pieno centro: #paura tra i passeggeri, nessun ferito #tritone #fuoco #autobus #atac pic.twitter.com/WpkSPZT2f7
— BlitzTV (@BlitzTVit) May 8, 2018
Despite the fact that no one was injured in the blast, the Tuesday bus explosion represents a serious problem for the city, because the vehicle at the center of it all Tuesday was the ninth bus to become engulfed in flames and, apparently, explode, just this year. In 2017, the city lost 20 buses to a similar issue.
Il recupero del bus #viadeltritone pic.twitter.com/3hsTvrONjt
— Antonio Naddeo (@AntonioNaddeo) May 8, 2018
Thirty-six percent of the buses belonging to the public transit authority servicing Rome are reportedly out of service thanks to a need for repairs this week, and the authority is also reportedly struggling under massive debt.
Blazing buses becoming commonplace in Rome. The consequence of years of mismanagement. https://t.co/rGBMTVe6cy
— Crispian Balmer (@crispiandjb) May 8, 2018
The U.S. president has not addressed the incident on Twitter as of mid-Tuesday morning, but over in the U.S., he has made a show of addressing the issue of aging infrastructure, which afflicts not just Italy.
? URGENT |
Bus in #Rome caught fire, just behind the Trevi fountains. Police reports nobody was hurt. pic.twitter.com/nXXiCv9wyP
— Vocal Europe (@thevocaleurope) May 8, 2018
His plan, though, as revealed earlier this year put the majority of the burden of spending associated with the repairs and updates he wants on state and local governments, a set-up that few feel is sustainable.