Joe Biden took a chaotic tour of Hawaii on Monday — consistent with his deaf and error-prone initial response to the wildfires.
Two weeks after the US’s worst wildfires in a century, the President and his wife Jill landed on Maui and were greeted with shouts of “F*** you!” as his motorcade passed.
Some were seen waving Trump 2024 flags.
The 80-year-old only heightened his anger by speaking at a charred sacred banyan tree addressing his own loss – that of his wife and young daughter in 1972 – and then his own experience of a house fire at his home Referenced House in Delaware in 2004. His home in Wilmington was struck by lightning, causing a small fire that did not spread beyond the kitchen.
Biden then cracked a clumsy joke while greeting rescuers, asking a handler if his boots were reinforced and remarking, “Hot ground.”
Joe Biden is seen in Hawaii Monday sharing an anecdote about a kitchen fire at his Delaware home in 2004
Angry Hawaiians gesture as Biden’s motorcade drove past Monday
Biden greeted emergency services and joked about “hot ground”
JUST IN: President Biden jokes about how hot the ground is on Maui after fire broke out and killed hundreds.
“Did you catch the boots out here? That’s hot ground man,” he joked.
Despite media reports of around 100 deaths from the fires, locals estimate that at least… pic.twitter.com/mRlVuN9kns
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 21, 2023
Biden’s visit would always be controversial: some questioned why he hadn’t come to visit sooner, while others wanted him to stay away and not divert resources from search and rescue efforts.
The death toll rose to 114 on Monday, with 850 still missing.
Of those 114, fewer than a quarter have been identified.
Before his visit, Biden was criticized for not paying enough attention to the wildfires.
When asked about his reaction to the fires as Biden left the beach in Delaware last weekend, he replied, “No comment.”
On Thursday, the emotional Ella Sable Tacderan fought back tears as she told CNN of her family’s grief.
“It really touches me because where is the President?” she asked.
“I mean, aren’t we Americans too?” We are part of the United States. Why are we put in the back pocket?
“Why are we being ignored?”
Joe and Jill Biden are seen leaving Maui on Monday after visiting the devastated areas
The Bidens can be seen flying over the devastation of Lahaina on Monday
Biden is seen Monday with Hawaii Governor Josh Green and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell
The Bidens are seen Monday with the Hawaii governor and his wife in Lahaina
Tacderan said the checks for $700 given to each affected household were offensively low.
“My parents received a check for $700, which was a slap in the face,” she said.
“Living in Hawaii, everything is so expensive.” Grocery shopping can cost up to $700 just for one grocery purchase. And it’s not enough.’
She added that older families in Hawaii are essentially “computer illiterate,” which may explain why some people are “rejected” from their applications for FEMA assistance.
Some Hawaiians joined Tacderan’s criticism on Monday, with one holding up a sign comparing the aid to Ukraine and Hawaii.
Ukraine has received $1,700 per capita since the war began in February 2022, the author calculated.
Biden and his wife took a helicopter tour of the affected areas before speaking to a gathering of local officials, senators and community officials.
The President spoke, as he often does when addressing communities affected by tragedy, understanding the personal weight of a devastating loss and the slow and painful process of recovery.
Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi, died in a car accident in 1972. He lost an adult son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.
“When things are looking at their bleakest, that’s when we need confidence,” said Biden, who spoke with community members for 70 minutes after his remarks.
He shared how first responders supported him after Neilia’s death and commended those involved in the Hawaii tragedy.
At another stop, he referred to the 2004 fire at his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
“I don’t want to compare difficulties, but we, Jill and I, have a little understanding of what it’s like to lose a home,” Biden said.
“Years ago, now 15 years ago, when I was in Washington to do Meet The Press, it was a sunny Sunday and lightning struck a small lake in front of our house — not a lake, but a pond.”
He said the spark went through the wires, into the heating ducts and into the kitchen.
“Long story short, I’m almost my wife, my ’67 Corvette, and my cat.
“But joking aside – I watched the firefighters react.”
It’s an anecdote Biden often tells in tragic times.
When firefighters arrived there was heavy smoke, but the flames were contained in the kitchen.
“Luckily we got it pretty early,” George Lamborn, chief of the Cranston Heights Fire Company, said at the time.
“The fire was under control within 20 minutes.”