President Joe Biden seems to be severely struggling to be able to find the right way to address the deadly wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.
On Thursday, he gave another strange answer when asked about the disaster that just did not seem to strike the right note.
A reporter asked, “Can you tell us about your Hawaii trip, sir?”
“No, not now,” Biden responded.
He added, “I’m going to be leaving — I’ll be there on Monday.”
As a reporter tried to ask why it was important for him to make the trip, the president turned and walked away without saying anything.
Watch the video below:
REPORTER: "Can you tell us about your Hawaii trip, sir?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 17, 2023
BIDEN: "No. Not now." pic.twitter.com/TkRKQWJomL
The answer comes as the death toll in Maui has hit at least 110 people, and it is estimated around 2,200 structures have been destroyed by the fires.
It also comes as the president has given bizarre responses — or ignored shouted questions — about the wildfires.
On Sunday, Biden was asked if he had a comment on the death toll, and he responded, “No, no comment.”
"Any comment on the rising death toll in Maui?"
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 14, 2023
BIDEN: "No. No comment." pic.twitter.com/pALPvHK9kM
And on Tuesday, reporters tried to ask him about the death toll as he left the White House. However, he declined to comment.
Later in the day, Biden said, “My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can. That’s what I’ve been talking to the governor about it. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“I’ve been to too many disaster areas. But I want to go, make sure we got everything they need. I want to be sure we don’t disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts,” he added.
The White House has shared Biden will visit Maui on Monday.
But for a president who has pushed a narrative about his empathy, these answers about a natural disaster in the U.S. appear dismissive. It seems he is annoyed or tired and not in the mood to deal with a tragedy.
We don’t know what is going on behind the scenes or if something is weighing on Biden’s mind. Still, it is not as though the wildfires are some controversy drummed up by Republicans. Nor is it like what happened in East Palestine, Ohio, where Republicans rushed there after a train derailment and made it a political issue.
It should not be too hard to give a traditional answer to try to reassure people the federal government will be on top of the response and express his condolences to people who have suffered losses from the fires — or to explain why he is going to Hawaii.
Instead, his bizarre answers are going to keep the criticism of his response to the wildfires in the headlines and potentially become a larger political headache for him.