Biden takes break from vacation to tour Hawaii fire damage

Sep 02, 2023

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LAHAINA, Hawaii — President Biden was greeted with middle fingers, protest chants, and signs that said “No Comment” Monday as he arrived in Maui to tour wildfire damage after repeatedly declining to comment last week on the tragedy that killed at least 114 people.

A group of several dozen residents of scorched western Maui heckled Biden’s motorcade shortly after noon local time as it left tiny Kapalua Airport en route to the hardest-hit areas of historic Lahaina, which was destroyed on Aug. 8.

“Go home, Joe!” the locals chanted as Biden passed by — moments before the president read a scripted speech touting the federal response, despite criticism from residents who say not enough help has been offered.

The 80-year-old commander-in-chief has taken intense criticism, including from fellow Democrats, for appearing aloof following the deadliest US wildfires in more than a century.

As he drove toward downtown Lahaina, Biden passed signs that said “No Comment,” “Action Speaks Louder Than Words”, and “FJB,” as well as at least two flags promoting the 2024 candidacy of former President Donald Trump.

“Where has the president been?“ asked Dennis Mullen, 58, of nearby Kahana, who said that the airport hosting the presidential helicopter hasn’t been used much to deliver needed supplies.

“Any number of military aircraft, planes, and helicopters could have flown in here. To leave a town that was just devastated and shut down was just ridiculous. The runway wasn’t cratered,” Mullen told The Post.

Meanwhile, Biden got the full White House treatment, delivering remarks from a lectern with the presidential seal amid the apocalyptic landscape following this month’s deadly wildfires.

The president was also provided with a small wooden table for his precious bottle of water as he spoke on the federal government’s response to the devastation, with the ashes of destroyed buildings visible behind the stagecraft.

“On the west side of Maui, where neighborhoods had burned down, there was a desperate need and no one came to help.”

The staggering Maui death toll followed a series of apparent missteps by officials, who didn’t sound emergency alarms or approve the release of water in time to battle the flames.

The dead include children, among them a 7-year-old boy who burned to death with his family inside a car. Most victims have not yet been identified and 850 people remain missing.

As the scale of fatalities became apparent, Biden stunned and outraged Hawaiians by saying “No comment” when asked about the disaster on Aug. 13 after relaxing on a Delaware beach.

At least 114 people have died in the Maui wildfires that started last Tuesday.

The wildfires, fanned by strong winds, burned multiple buildings, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities.

The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora was partly to blame for the strong winds that knocked out power as night came. About 13,000 residents in Maui were without power, according to reports.

People rushed into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames fanned by Hurricane Dora.

Fire crews battled multiple fires in the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland mountainous region. Firefighters struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines.

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“I campaigned for you,” raged former Hawaii legislator Kaniela Ing on social media “Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbors. This?”

Biden, who is seeking a second term in next year’s election, again declined to comment Thursday when asked by a reporter to discuss his planned trip to Maui, saying, “No, not now.”

Dean Fuchs, 59, of the town of Kihei in eastern Maui, held a Hawaiian state flag upside down as Biden’s motorcade passed.

“The president’s kinda late, don’t you think?” Fuchs told The Post.

“When he was asked about the disaster in Maui and he said ‘No comment,’ that was disrespectful to the people of Maui who have lost so much,” he added.

“We’re here to send the president a message that we’re displeased with the federal response.”

Biden supporter Barry Brown, 76, acknowledged the FEMA reaction was slow but said he took the president at his word that Washington will support Maui’s rebuilding.

“The president’s visit gives us hope. It’s important he comes here. I understand why he couldn’t come sooner because it’s still chaotic here,” Brown said.

“I’m glad he’s here. He’s my president. I take him on his word he will stay with us until the job’s done, which will probably take five or 10 years to rebuild our beloved Lahaina.”

Biden traveled to the island from Nevada — taking a break from a weeklong vacation at a Democratic billionaire’s Lake Tahoe mansion.

Upon arriving, he took a 20-minute aerial tour of the disaster area ahead of meetings with emergency personnel and survivors.

“To the people of Hawaii, we’re with you for as long as it takes, I promise you,” Biden said in his remarks, later adding: “May God bless all those we’ve lost, may God find those who we haven’t determined yet, and may God bless you all.”

Follow the latest NYP coverage of the deadly Maui wildfires

The president mispronounced the name of one of Hawaii’s senators during his remarks, calling Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) by the last name “Shants” — a week after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre botched both of the names of the Aloha State’s senators and misgendered Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono.

The White House authorized a $700 relief grant per household to survivors, but even that has come under criticism for stinginess relative to spending on other priorities, such as $113 billion in funding since last year for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, with Biden requesting another $20.6 billion this month.

American presidents are expected to offer words of support and consolation during tragedies and a perceived failure to commiserate with victims can have political consequences — as occurred following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when President George W. Bush faced scathing criticism for praising FEMA’s response despite widespread public outrage.

Biden on Tuesday broke his silence about the stunning loss of life at an economy-focused speech in Milwaukee, but at one point appeared to forget the name “Maui” and referred to the island as “the one where you see on television all of the time.”

He also seemed to make a lame attempt at a joke, saying, “I apologize because I try very hard to keep my speeches between 15 and 18 minutes, but I got to talk a little bit about Hawaii.”