After taking a sunbath on a beach close to his house in Delaware, President Biden was questioned about the growing death toll in the devastating Maui inferno, the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century, and responded with a stony-eyed “no comment.” The commander in chief provided the callous non-response as the death toll reached 96 late on Sunday. Reporter Justin Sink from Bloomberg posted on X, the social media platform that replaced Twitter, that “after a couple hours on the Rehoboth beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii.”
The White House correspondent, who also shared a picture of Biden, 80, relaxing with a group of people in the distance, stated, “‘No comment,’ he said before leaving for home. With the sad total, which is predicted to increase as hastily conducted search and rescue efforts, the conflagration became Hawaii’s greatest natural tragedy. According to data from the National Fire Protection Association, it is also currently the worst US wildfire since 1918, when the Cloquet fire in Minnesota and Wisconsin claimed the lives of 453 people.
When questioned about the tragedy earlier on Sunday while out for a bike ride, Biden responded in a similar cold manner. He stated, “We’re looking into it. Last week, Biden proclaimed a major catastrophe on the Hawaiian island of Maui, promising that the federal response would guarantee that “anyone who’s lost a loved one, or whose home has been damaged or destroyed, is going to get help immediately.”
However, the president’s muted answers on Sunday quickly drew criticism, with some drawing comparisons to his handling of the chemical spill that was caused by a train derailing near East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this year. During the Trump administration, Monica Crowley served as the US Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for public affairs. She tweeted, “Biden doesn’t give AF [a f-k] about the suffering people of Maui.” “Or the distressed residents of Ohio’s East Palestine. Or the folks who are in need in border communities. Or the folks who are in need anyplace in America,” she said.
In her unsuccessful 2022 run for governor of Arizona, Republican Kari Lake also criticized the president. “One of the most stunning locations on earth has been turned to cinders. Joe Biden is unconcerned about Delaware, according to him. Get this jerk out of the White House if you want to put America first,” Lake said on X. “While the people of Lahaina, Hawaii dug through the ashes of their shattered community, the president rode his bike to the beach,” the president was quoted as saying. Additionally, she stated that Nero played while Rome burned.
Biden “just got back from a 14-day beach vacation,” according to Stephen Miller, an editor at the conservative website The Spectator. Spent 4 days in DC, is back on the beach, and is silent regarding the wildfires that destroyed entire neighborhoods. Amazing stuff, really. Another enraged commentator compared Biden’s response to the conflict in Ukraine. “Biden, in a nutshell. No remark about East Palestine. Maui: I have nothing to say. Ukraine: send them an additional 24 billion,” the X user wrote. The White House has been contacted by The Post for a response.
