Biden gets booed in Maui — then makes matters worse by comparing devastating blazes that killed hundreds to nearly losing his Corvette in a fire
As historic wildfires raged across the Hawaiian island of Maui over the past two weeks, claiming hundreds of lives and scorching thousands of acres, President Joe Biden managed to take two vacations, padding his record of over 365 vacation days since taking office.
Facing significant pressure to do so — especially after an early refusal to comment on the disaster — he cut short his second vacation at a billionaire's mansion in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and made his way to Maui on Monday.
His reception by some survivors of the wildfires was anything but warm.
The environmentally conscious president and his nearly 30-car motorcade went on a five-hour tour of Hawaii, passing disgruntled residents who jeered him, yelling, "Thanks for nothing!" and "Go home, Joe!"
Newsweek reported that other residents who confronted Biden along the way held signs that read "F*** Biden" and "Trump Won." Others held signs near Kapalua Airport, where the president touched down, that read, "It's too late."
The New York Post noted that there were additional signs amid the ash and ruin in Lahaina that said, "Action speaks louder than words" and "FJB," as well as "No comment," in reference to Biden's Aug. 13 refusal to address the tragedy while vacationing in Delaware.
After joking about the ground being hot and a cadaver dog's boots, Biden then delivered a speech in Lahaina in front of the devastated town's ancient banyan tree, which survived the worst of the fires.
While he remembered the name of the island this time around, the 80-year-old president mispronounced the names of multiple Hawaiian officials and called the disaster an "unimaginable travedy."
Biden later addressed another crowd at the Lahaina Civic Center, where he drew a parallel between the deadly inferno, which has reportedly claimed more than 480 lives, and the near-loss of his beloved '67 Corvette as the result of a kitchen fire.
"I don't want to compare difficulties, but we have a little sense, Jill and I, of what it's like to lose a home," said Biden. "Years ago — now 15 years ago — while I was in Washington doing 'Meet The Press.' It was a sunny Sunday, and lightning struck at home, on a little lake that's outside our home — not a lake, a pond."
"To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my '67 Corvette, and my cat," added Biden.
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A restaurant owner in Kihei, Maui, told the Daily Signal that Biden's comparison was "the most despicable thing this president has ever said," adding, "How do you compare almost losing your f****** Corvette to the children burned in their f****** homes, man?"
Kristen Goodwin, a former teacher on the island, similarly expressed contempt for Biden, noting, "I’m not voting for him again — that's for sure. I'll vote for Trump. I will never vote for him again."
Goodwin characterized Biden's visit as nothing more than a "photo op."
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FAIL: Biden Makes Maui Visit All About Him | 8/22/23