(LibertySociety.com) – Biden once again sparked outrage among social media users after a video surfaced of his apparent lack of concern for the people who are suffering due to the devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. In the video, reporters are seen shouting at the president to comment on the rising death toll in Maui as he is getting into his vehicle in Delaware on August 14. Biden stared blankly for a few seconds, then simply stated, “No comment,” followed by his signature lopsided smirk. His response was the top trend on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the entire day.
During the daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre attempted to distract from President Biden’s seemingly careless comment, spending several minutes highlighting the actions that the federal government has taken since the tragedy occurred. After she concluded her lengthy summary, Jean-Pierre introduced FEMA coordinator Deanne Griswell, who attended the briefing via video. She offered additional details about FEMA’s response for several more minutes. Griswell then took questions from reporters, followed by Jean-Pierre.
Jean-Pierre’s cleanup of what many believe to be insensitive comments by President Biden continued on August 16, as she defended his decision to withhold public comment for so many days. During a CNN interview, Jean-Pierre disagreed with co-host Phil Mattingly when he said that the president waited too long to publicly discuss the situation. She noted that Biden had briefly acknowledged the tragedy during an event in Utah on August 10 while honoring the first anniversary of the passage of the PACT Act. On August 15 during a visit to Wisconsin, President Biden said that he would soon pay a visit to the island, stating that he wants to “make sure they’ve got everything they need.” He told guests at the event that he believes he would just be in the way if he was to go while search and rescue efforts are still underway. Thus far, 106 people have lost their lives due to the wildfire.
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