White House defends Hawaii wildfire response saying President Biden is ‘deeply concerned’

The White House defended President Joe Biden’s federal response to the devastating wildfires in Hawaii on Monday, saying the president is “deeply concerned” and sending federal aid.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spent the first half of Monday’s press briefing focusing on Mr Biden’s federal action to assist officials and residents in Maui.

“You’ve heard from [Mr Biden] already on Thursday, certainly you’ll hear from him continuously this week,” Ms Jean-Pierre said. “Look, this is something that the President is clearly deeply concerned about.”

Ms Jean-Pierre’s statement was in defence of Mr Biden, who has faced criticism for what some believe to be an emotionally indifferent approach to addressing the fires.

Despite declaring the fires to be a major disaster last week, neither Mr Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris have plans to visit Hawaii. The logistics of a presidential visit could complicate emergency response efforts on the ground.

Ms Jean-Pierre was joined by Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to answer questions about the federal government’s efforts in Maui.

Ms Criswell insisted that the Biden administration has coordinated federal agencies with local and state officials to assist in search and recovery efforts.

At least 96 people have died as a result of the outrageous wildfires which swept across parts of Maui and other parts of Hawaii last week.

That number is expected to go up, according to Hawaii governor Josh Green, as cadaver dogs and teams search burned buildings for victims or survivors.

So far, the cadaver dogs have only searched three per cent of the search area. They are expected to continue that search this week.

Hundreds of other Hawaiians are still missing and thousands of people are displaced as many homes and buildings were destroyed.

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Over the weekend, Mr Biden spent time relaxing at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. When the President was confronted by reporters about visiting Hawaii, he responded vaguely.

Some Republicans slammed Mr Biden for not taking physical action to visit Hawaii or appearing to be concerned about the conditions in Maui.

Mike Flynn, who served as US national security adviser under Donald Trump, claimed Mr Biden’s predecessor would have faced a “media firestorm” for doing the same thing.

Conspiracy theorist and MAGA Republican Kari Lake also joined in the criticism, tweeting: “In Maui: 93 (& counting) Americans are dead. 1,000 are missing. One of the most beautiful places on earth has been reduced to cinders. In Delaware: @JoeBiden can’t be bothered to care. Putting America First means getting this joker out of the White House.”

Ms Harris told reporters last week she had no plans to visit Hawaii so as not to take away resources from where they are needed, like increased security measures.

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Despite the online rhetoric, Mr Green has praised Mr Biden for issuing the major disaster declaration with haste.

“We were honored to have the President jump to it so fast,” Mr Green said on MSNBC on Sunday.

He added: “In 6 hours, he approved the presidential declaration. It was incredible. Within 6 hours. And so, that opened up, like you said, FEMA and amazing support for recovery.”

During Monday’s press briefing, a reporter asked Ms Jean-Pierre if the President’s outward image should reflect his concern for Hawaii.

Ms Jean-Pierre responded by directing people to the comments that Mr Green and other Hawaii officials have given.

“The president is certainly deeply concerned about the people in Maui,” Ms Jean-Pierre reiterated. “To the point of mobilising a whole of government approach.”