The White House sought to deflect backlash on Monday over President Joe Biden spending a weekend at the beach in the aftermath of a fire that devastated part of the Hawaiian island of Maui.
A reporter asked Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre how the White House would “respond to critics who have suggested that the president should not have been vacationing at the beach” in Delaware as the death toll approaches the 100 mark as searches continue and efforts are underway to assist survivors.
“The president is certainly deeply concerned about the people in Maui to the point where he has mobilized a whole-of-government approach here,” Jean-Pierre said.
REPORTER: “How does the White House respond to critics who have suggested that the president should not have been vacationing at the beach
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: “He has mobilized a whole of government approach here…The president has also committed to being there…for as long… pic.twitter.com/SfM3DFfCb4
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 14, 2023
After reciting how federal agencies are working to provide aid to survivors, including food and cots, Jean-Pierre insisted that Biden has “also committed to being there for the government of Hawaii — the people of Maui for as long as it takes.”
However that commitment, at least for now, does not include a visit to Hawaii as Biden has other plans on his official schedule, including spending several days in Lake Tahoe starting at the end of the week.
Jean-Pierre said she had nothing to announce when it came to the question of Biden traveling to Hawaii and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who participated in Monday’s White House briefing remotely, explained that federal officials have other priorities when asked about it.
“We just want to make sure that we are working to help this community identify everybody that’s missing and we need to stay focused on that right now,” Criswell said.