Hawaiians shout 'f**k you' to Biden as he visits fire-devastated island and compares deadly blaze with house fire
Joe Biden has received backlash after comparing the deadly Hawaiian blaze to a kitchen fire at his home
Reuters
Joe Biden has received backlash after comparing the deadly Hawaiian blaze to a kitchen fire at his home.
The US president arrived in Maui to screams of "f*** you" just two weeks after huge fires killed at least 114 people and left 850 others missing.
During his speech, Biden spoke about the deaths of his wife and daughter in 1972, before comparing the horrific fire to a kitchen fire at his Delaware home in 2004.
He also asked a rescue team whether their boots were reinforced, adding that there was "hot ground" beneath their feet in a tone-deaf attempt at humour.
Joe Biden asked a rescue team whether their boots were reinforced, adding that there was "hot ground" beneath their feet in a tone-deaf attempt at humour
Reuters
Residents in Hawaii have criticised the 80-year-old for not visiting the island sooner and offering only $700 to each affected family.
Biden has approved $8.2 million in assistance to 2,700 households, according to FEMA.
But the Republican Party slammed the sum given in security assistance to Ukraine so far this year, which now tops $12.1billion.
The President pledged a further $200million to Kyiv on the same day that people affected by the fires in Hawaii were offered the $700 checks.
It comes after the US president said he had nothing to say when asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii following severe wildfires.
At the time, Biden was enjoying his Delaware beach holiday as the increasing number of deaths rose to 96 as of Monday afternoon.
When asked on Rehoboth beach about the rising death toll in Hawaii, Biden said "no comment" before he headed home.
He also appeared to forget the name of the Hawaiian Island ravaged by the wildfires in a humiliating error last week.
The US president arrived in Maui to screams of 'f*** you' just two weeks after huge fires killed at least 114 people and left 850 others missing
Reuters
On Thursday, Maui Ella Sable Tacderan explained how she felt like the mainland was not treating her family like American citizens.
"It's really affecting me because where's the president?" she asked.
"I mean, aren't we Americans, too? We're part of the United States. Why are we getting put in the back pocket?
"Why are we being ignored?"