Lahaina residents slam Biden's 'multimillion-dollar photo-op'
Maui residents Etan Krupnick and Amanda Cassidy join "Fox & Friends First" to discuss their take on the president's visit and what the community needs after the devastating wildfire.
Some Lahaina residents on Maui blasted President Biden's comments during his visit to the island Monday after deadly wildfires left a trail of devastation earlier this month, with one resident labeling some of his language as "tone-deaf" and another writing off the visit as a "multimillion-dollar photo-op" during their Tuesday appearance on "Fox & Friends First."
Among Biden's comments under scrutiny, he compared the ravaging flames to a fire that started at his home in Delaware 15 years ago, retelling a story in which he said the fire "destroyed a significant portion" of his residence.
"I don’t want to compare difficulties, but we have a little sense, Jill and I, of what it was like to lose a home," Biden said. "Years ago now, 15 years, I was in Washington doing ‘Meet the Press’ … lightning struck at home on a little lake outside the home, not a lake, a big pond. It hit the wire and came up underneath our home into the … air condition ducts."
President Biden speaks during a community engagement event at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 21, 2023. (Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)
"To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my '67 Corvette and my cat," he said.
A 2004 report from the Associated Press, archived by LexisNexis, however, said lighting struck the home, starting a "small fire that was contained to the kitchen."
"I think it was a little bit tone-deaf," Maui resident Amanda Cassidy said of Biden's comments from Monday. "However, I can understand how he was trying to meet us somewhere and say, ‘I understand,’ but unfortunately that is nothing that compares to what happened to our community, our beautiful little town and the families of children that were lost and disabled and the elderly. I mean, a car and your kitchen is kind of just a little sad to hear …"
"I think people really want to see you show up for us and provide an eighth of what you're giving to Ukraine. It's outrageous. Lahaina is so hurt right now and that was tone-deaf."
BIDEN SAYS HOUSE BURNED ‘WITH MY WIFE IN IT,’ ADDING TO LONG LIST OF EMBELLISHED STORIES
This photo shows the wildfire devastation in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023. (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)
Etan Krupnick, another Maui resident, joined "Fox & Friends First" along with Cassidy on Tuesday and criticized the president for making the visit for a "photo-op" when the money could have been put to better use.
"The [community's] anger is normal, you know, [it was a] multimillion-dollar photo op," he told co-host Carley Shimkus. "We could've used that money directly to Lahaina, to house more of the families for a longer stay because the rebuild of their homes isn't going to take three months … it's going to be about at least six months just to clean up the area, and we're still looking for family and friends that are still lost, and we're going to mourn them. And it's just it's a huge mess right now."
Krupnick said Biden should have expressed his feelings over the phone or FaceTime instead of flying to the Aloha State.
PRESIDENT BIDEN, JILL BIDEN VISIT HAWAII FOR FIRST TIME SINCE WILDFIRES DEVASTATED MAUI
President Biden delivers remarks as he visits an area devastated by wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 21, 2023. (Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)
To help the area recover, Krupnick said the top priority should be getting people's homes rebuilt by employing architects and fast-tracking permits so that residents can return to some semblance of normalcy. He also noted federal funding as another crucial element that needs to be addressed.
"They promise a lot. But, you know, talk is talk. They need to walk the walk," he said.
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The search for residents after flames devastated the community continues. Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said Sunday that 850 names are on a list of missing people, and he noted that the list originally contained around 2,000 and that more are expected to be found.
"We are both saddened and relieved about these numbers as we continue the recovery process," Bissen said. "The number of identified will rise, and the number of missing may decrease."
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Fox News' Greg Wehner and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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