While soaking up the sun at his Delaware beach house, President Joe Biden offered no comment when asked about the deadly wildfires on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Here’s how people reacted.
“No Comment”
While the island of Maui was experiencing catastrophic wildfires, President Joe Biden was on vacation with his wife at his beach house in Delaware.
When a reporter asked him if he had anything to say about the rising death toll, Biden responded, “No. No comment.”
In a separate instance in Delaware, Biden was riding his bike and responded with, “We’re looking at it,” when reporters asked him if he would visit Maui.
Both Republicans and Democrats had issues with Biden’s vague responses.
“It’s a Disgraceful Thing That Joe Biden Refuses To Help or Comment on the Tragedy in Maui”
Donald Trump posted a two-minute video criticizing Biden’s response to the wildfires. “It’s a disgraceful thing that Joe Biden refuses to help or comment on the tragedy in Maui,” said Trump.
A Democrat from Hawaii said the president’s response was “shocking” and “out of character.” The New York Times reported that residents of Maui said they were receiving more assistance from volunteers than they were from the government.
A White House spokesperson responded to the criticism of how the Biden Administration responded to the wildfires.
The White House spokesperson said, “The Biden-Harris Administration has mobilized a robust whole-of-government response effort to support immediate and long-term rescue and recovery efforts in Maui.”
“I Really Thank the President for Declaring an Emergency Declaration Within Hours of Being Asked To Do That by the State of Hawaii.”
Although Biden had “no comment” on the deadly wildfires, the White House said he was “deeply concerned”. It made a list of the many federal departments and agencies that were on the ground providing support and resources.
There was a lot of criticism of Biden for not doing enough, but some people came to his defense, pointing out the positive things he did. The governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, said he was “honored” that the president jumped into action “so fast.”
A Democratic senator from Hawaii, Mazie Hirono, said, “I really thank the president for declaring an emergency declaration within hours of being asked to do that by the state of Hawaii.”
Despite the president signing the emergency declaration, Maui resident Cole Millington told reporters that he wasn’t getting the support he needed.
Biden Made an Exception To Lengthen His Speech To Talk About Hawaii
Millington said he wanted more support on the federal level. “It shouldn’t be me and my friends in our 30-year-old trucks grabbing supplies and driving them through a burning town to get there.”
A few days after the “no comment” incident, Biden made an exception to lengthen his speech to talk about Hawaii. He told the crowd that he tries “very hard to keep [his] speeches between 15 and 18 minutes,” but he needed to talk “a little bit about Hawaii.”
Biden shared about the federal efforts that were on the ground in Hawaii to support the residents who had lost everything. He also mentioned a “critical needs program,” which offered a one-time $700 grant to the victims of the wildfires.
According to the Biden Administration, 300 FEMA workers on the ground had provided meals, water, cots, and blankets.
“Now When I Lose Dozens of My Friends, Family, and Neighbors. This?”
Biden said he would eventually travel to tour the damage on Maui, but he didn’t want to “get in the way” and “disrupt” recovery efforts.
Former Democratic Hawaii legislator Kaniela Ing was outraged over how the Biden Administration handled the tragedy. Ing spoke out, saying, “I campaigned for you. Now when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbors. This?”
Adding salt to the wound is that the Biden Administration asked Congress to provide more than $13 billion to Ukraine for emergency defense aid two days after the fires started in Hawaii. This made some feel Biden cares more about other countries than his own.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Alexandros Michailidis. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: New York Post