On August 13th, while the death toll in the horrific Maui wildfires was still rising, President Biden offered “no comment” when asked about the island’s tragedy.
This was The New York Post’s front page the day after Biden’s “no comment.”
'Heartless Joe': Biden's smile in response to a question about #Hawaii burning down will cost him more than falling off ramp.
"#Biden made no comment on the growing death toll from fires on Hawaiian island of #Maui.Instead of answering,head of the States smiled and waved his hand pic.twitter.com/1KWv7NTYQY— Mahmood Khan (@Mahmood88239370) August 16, 2023
Now, almost two weeks later, White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton is saying Joe didn’t hear the question.
“He didn’t hear the question,” Dalton told the outlet. “He absolutely didn’t say ‘no comment’ in relation to Maui. 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.”
From The Washington Free Beacon:
The White House’s explanation that Biden didn’t hear the question comes as the president is already facing scrutiny over his age and mental acuity. A majority of Americans believe Biden would not make it through a second term, according to a Harvard Caps/Harris poll conducted in May.
The administration has faced criticism for its response to the fires. After he first addressed the disaster at the beginning of the month, Biden went four days without commenting on it again. He finally visited the devastated island this week, where he spent roughly six hours and told stories about a small kitchen fire at his house years ago.
After his visit, Biden flew directly to Nevada to resume his vacation at billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer’s $18 million lakefront mansion.
More over at The Washington Free Beacon:
Nearly two weeks after President Joe Biden shrugged off a question on the devastating wildfires in Hawaii, the White House is claiming that the 80-year-old president did not hear the question.https://t.co/mUHu6KEyBY
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) August 25, 2023