OAN’s Abril Elfi
6:10 PM – Friday, August 25, 2023
The White House has stated that President Joe Biden did not hear the Maui wildfire question, prompting him to answer with “no comment.”
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On August 13th, Biden responded “no comment” when asked by the press about the deadly wildfires after he had come back from visiting the beach in Delaware for four days.
Earlier that day, on a bike ride, he responded, “We’re looking into it,” when asked if he would go to Maui.
On Friday, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton said that the 46th president did not hear to great detail what the press was asking and that is why the 80-year-old did not respond.
“He didn’t hear the question. He absolutely didn’t say ‘no comment’ in relation to Maui,” Dalton said.
Dalton went on to say that, at the time, Biden had already spoken about the federal response to the wildfires as part of remarks commemorating the first anniversary of the PACT Act.
“And in fact, he had already spoken to the nation about Maui at that point, in addition to being in daily contact with senior staff, FEMA, and state officials as he marshaled a whole-of-government response to the fires,” she said.
Biden’s response sparked a lot of backlash on social media, with a lot of users reportedly calling him “inconsiderate” for his “lack of remorse.”
Former President Donald Trump released a video statement giving his opinion on the matter.
“To say no comment is oftentimes fine, but to be smiling when you say it, especially against such a tragedy as this, is absolutely horrible and unacceptable,” Trump said. “It is a disgraceful thing that Joe Biden refuses to help or comment on the tragedy in Maui, just as he refused to help or comment on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, for a very, very long time.”
On Monday, Biden came under fire after he made a “joke” during a conference with local community officials, comparing the deadly wildfire with over 113 reported deaths, to the time he almost lost his Corvette and his cat.
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By: OAN
