Though Hawaii is generally a far-left state that has consistently voted Democrat since 1959, some residents of the fire-stricken island of Maui were less than thrilled with President Joe Biden when he finally showed up to the island, with videos emerging of residents hurling insults, vulgarities, and grievances his way.
One such viral video showed the president’s motorcade rolling by as angry residents of the island shouted vulgar insults at him and expressed shocked, furious disappointment with his having taken nearly two weeks (13 days) to show up to the island.
Watch that here:
LANGUAGE WARNING ⚠️
WOW!!! Listen to how Maui residents respond to Biden as his motorcade passes by 😳
“Here he comes after 13 days.”
Do you think Maui residents are happy to see Biden?? 👇🏼🚨 pic.twitter.com/1m4B2mrqGW
— TONY™️ (@TONYxTWO) August 22, 2023
Another, less vulgar, video emerged as well in which residents of the fire-stricken island said that Biden should have shown up earlier and that his lackadaisical response to the crisis speaks much louder about his priorities than anything he has since said about the fire.
Maui residents are lining the road amid Biden's visit — with signs saying "he's too late," "he should've been here much earlier," and "actions speak louder than words." pic.twitter.com/Qnu6j3ogTt
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 21, 2023
And not all the residents were even happy that President Biden showed up in the first place. One resident said, for example, that Biden showed up after wildfires killed over 100 people, left 850 people unaccounted for, and cost billions of dollars in property damage just so that he could look good in front of the cameras.
That individual, Jay Awan of Lahaina, told The New York Post. “I don’t want him here. He’s just coming to Maui to look good in front of the cameras.” Awan added that the devastation might have crippled, or at least damaged, the island for good. “It’s like a f–king warzone here. Maui’s never going to be the same. Lahaina’s never going to be the same,” he said. He then noted that it would change by becoming more commercialized, saying, “They’re going to put resorts up all along here — Lahaina is going to lose its character as an old whaling village. We can’t get the historical sites back.”
Another Lahaina resident, Peter Friedgen, told the New York Post that he “don’t [sic] care if the president comes.” adding, “It’s a waiting game now for someone to show up — the government, insurers. I’ve just been down the beach, waiting for people to get into town.”
Further, an accountant in the area said that FEMA’s bureaucratic approach is harming residents, reported to say on the NY Post, “I filed an application for somebody for disaster funding and it already got denied, saying they didn’t have proof from the insurance company over how much their losses were — but there’s no possible way to get that information right now.”
Joe Biden has "no comment" on the hardship and devastation these Americans have seen firsthand.
His smirk while on vacation says it all. pic.twitter.com/oCdHoeZTTe
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 14, 2023
The White House has attempted to push back on criticism of its handling of the situation. In one tweet it described what actions it has so far taken, introducing them by saying, “Since the onset of the Maui wildfires, President Biden launched a whole-of-government effort to support residents and affected communities. Here’s how the Administration is working to help Maui rebuild and recover as quickly as possible.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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