Nearly two weeks after President Biden faced criticism for telling reporters during a Delaware beach getaway that he had “no comment” on the rising death toll in Hawaii from severe wildfires, the White House has claimed the president didn’t hear the question.
In a statement to The New York Times, Olivia Dalton, who serves as deputy White House press secretary, defended the president Thursday evening amid an onslaught of bipartisan backlash the administration has faced over its lackluster response to the deadly wildfires in Hawaii.
“He didn’t hear the question,” Dalton told the outlet. “He absolutely didn’t say ‘no comment’ in relation to Maui. And in fact, he had already spoken to the nation about Maui at that point, in addition to being in daily contact with senior staff, FEMA and state officials as he marshaled a whole-of-government response to the fires.”
While vacationing in Rehoboth Beach earlier this month, Biden was shouted a question by a reporter who was traveling…
