The White House announced that Joe and Jill Biden will travel to Hawaii on Monday to meet with first responders and officials as the administration pushes back on criticism of the president’s handling of the deadly fire.
“The President and First Lady will travel to Maui on Monday, August 21 to meet with first responders, survivors, and federal, state, and local officials following the island’s deadly wildfires,” it said. the White House.
Biden said Tuesday he wanted to visit the state so he wouldn’t disrupt rescue efforts. He was criticized earlier this week for his refusal to comment on the fires that have devastated the island and claimed more than 100 lives.
And, during his speech in Milwaukee, the president seemed to forget Maui’s name, referring to the island as “the one you see on TV all the time.”
President Joe Biden will travel to Hawaii on Monday with First Lady Jill Biden
But Biden told the crowd that he and the first lady wanted to visit the destruction.
“My wife Jill and I will be traveling as soon as possible,” Biden told the crowd.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday pushed back on criticism of Biden’s handling of the Maui wildfires, insisting that “we take this incredibly seriously.”
“You will continue to hear from the president. He can’t wait to get to Maui, to see for himself,’ she told CNN’s This Morning.
“We take this incredibly seriously. The president mentioned, you’ve heard him say publicly that he and the first lady are going to Hawaii, when we know they’re not disruptive,’ she noted.
Tuesday’s comments were Biden’s first major remarks on one of the deadliest wildfires in US history.
He hit back at criticism that his administration hasn’t done enough to help Maui, saying, “Army helicopters have been helping with fire suppression efforts on the Big Island because there are still fires on the island. big island – not the one who, not the one where you see on TV all the time.
The president has been accused of being insensitive over the weekend. He was in Rehoboth Beach with the First Lady and on his way to the beach with friends when asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii.
“No comment,” he replied.
But Jean-Pierre argued that Biden faced many natural disasters during his presidency and showed up for people in crisis.
“Unfortunately, this president has had to deal with many disasters over the past two years. He showed up and he was there,’ she told CNN. “So we’re going to be here for the people of Maui until they need us through this time.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back on criticism of Biden’s handling of the Maui wildfires, insisting ‘we take this incredibly seriously’
A cadaver dog is seen leading search and rescue personnel through a parking lot that was destroyed in the Lahaina Fire, which killed more than 100 people
Recovery teams are assembled as efforts are made to find the 1,300 people still missing after last week’s Lahaina Fire swept through the city. The death toll rises to more than 100
On Friday, President Biden flies to chic Lake Tahoe for yet another summer vacation. He will remain there until the following Thursday, as directed by the White House.
He will likely interrupt that trip to visit Hawaii, where the death toll is over 100. And 1,300 people are still missing.
The fire that swept through Lahaina nearly a week ago destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000, leaving a mountain of debris in the coastal town. That fire was 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry Fire was 60% contained, officials told The Associated Press.
Damage was estimated at $5.6 billion.
Exclusive photos from DailyMail.com show how rescue efforts are still underway even as hopes fade that someone will be found alive in the demolished town.
The heartbreaking images also show how little is left in historic Maui, which until a week ago was home to more than 12,000 people.
