The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

White House defends Biden’s actions after criticism over Maui response

Conservatives have seized on the president’s lack of comments over the weekend on the loss of life from wildfires to paint him as uncaring

By
Updated August 14, 2023 at 7:47 p.m. EDT|Published August 14, 2023 at 7:21 p.m. EDT
Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, remotely joined a briefing with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the White House on Aug. 14. (Elizabeth Frantz/For The Washington Post)
5 min

The White House on Monday defended President Biden’s handling of the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history, rejecting criticism that he was silent about the devastation in Hawaii while he was on vacation at his Delaware beach home over the weekend.

Biden has not publicly addressed the devastation since last Thursday as the death toll has steadily climbed. The wildfires spread quickly, leveling the historic Maui town of Lahaina and leaving scores missing. Survivors have complained about inadequate warnings and emergency response. While vacationing on Sunday, Biden declined to answer a reporter’s question about the death count, which had then reached 93.