Following more than a week of public silence in the aftermath of the deadliest wildfires in modern US history, President Biden took a detour from his vacation in Lake Tahoe on Monday to fly to Maui with the First Lady.
According to NBC News, the president spoke with local officials while touring the town of Lahaina, where up to 850 people are still unaccounted for.
But because of what the people of Maui perceived as Biden’s inactivity and indifference to the tragedy, his visit was welcomed with significant ridicule.
WCTV interviewed residents who were opposing the president’s visit. Some protesters appeared at the airport along the motorcade route with posters that read “No Comment” and “Actions speak louder than words.” They argued that Biden should have visited the island sooner.
There were issues with the president’s visit, including how he incorrectly related the 2004 kitchen fire in his Wilmington house when talking to some locals in Lahaina.
Richard Bissen, the mayor of Maui County, reports that 114 people have already perished due to the wildfires. Twenty-seven have been found, and 1,285 more persons have been located securely.
Over the weekend, the White House revealed that more than a thousand federal workers, including almost 450 search and rescue troops, were present in Maui. Over $8 million in aid, including nearly $3 million in rental assistance, has been allocated by the Biden administration for aiding about 2,500 families.
In his brief remarks, Biden reaffirmed that the federal government would continue to exist for as long as it is necessary for Maui’s recovery and assured the community members that the government would “respect” their preferences, customs, and the “meaning” of their sacred place.
Additionally, Biden said that Bob Fenton, the regional administrator for FEMA, will be in charge of overseeing the federal response on Maui.
The White House also said that Biden’s delay in traveling to Hawaii was required to prevent impeding search and rescue operations. Biden spoke publicly about the wildfires three times before his arrival.
The president and first lady returned to Lake Tahoe after their trip to Hawaii to continue their third vacation of the month.
