On Friday, President Joe Biden was slammed by a Hawaii state lawmaker following his recent trip to the devastated island of Maui.
Hawaii House Minority Floor Leader Diamond Garcia, a Republican from Oahu, told Fox News that locals viewed the president’s comments as a “slap in the face,” criticized him for routinely “butchering” official’s names and were chagrined with the viral incident in which he appeared to fall asleep during a memorial for fire victims.
Garcia added that the community is still reeling from the fires that left over 100 dead and the city of Lahaina leveled, telling “Hannity” that Mauians were astounded at Biden’s “no comment” response to reporters when he was first asked about the fires while vacationing in Sussex County, Del.
“The fact is the president came to Hawaii some time after the fires burnt down the entire town of Lahaina. And when he came, he came for less than six hours,” Garcia recounted.
“He landed, did a brief tour, held a press conference — where he literally butchered every single name that he mentioned — and then went to an event with the local families who lost everything. And he literally fell asleep in the midst of these families pouring out their hearts and sharing their experiences.”
The viral clip saw Biden bowing his head in his crossed arms, appearing to briefly doze. Some viewers claimed his eyes were open and he was alert while his head was down.
“And this is our commander-in-chief,” Garcia lamented, adding that families in Hawaii have rhetorically asked “aren’t we American citizens too?”
He added that many in the state feel like “second-class citizens,” citing the FEMA pledge to give every household just $700 dollars after the loss of their homes and land.
Garcia was then asked how he and other Hawaiians felt after Biden compared the deadly blazes of Lahaina to a kitchen fire in his New Castle County, Del., home in 2004. Biden claimed to have nearly lost his Chevrolet Corvette and his cat in the fire, but the story has been repeatedly debunked, with the flames being doused by first responders in less than 20 minutes and not extending past the home’s kitchen.
“In the words of the local families here, they’re saying what a slap in the face that was. That comment was out of place. It goes to show the lack of basic humanity involved here,” Garcia said.
Garcia also pointed out that criticisms of Biden on the island are not a partisan issue, with the state remaining heavily Democratic, having a 45–9 majority in his legislative chamber.
“I’m one of the few ‘red’ members here, but we’re a blue state. And the president couldn’t even come to a blue state and offer true federal support,” he said.
Responding to Biden’s handling of another disaster zone, East Palestine, Ohio, Republican Mayor Trent Conaway told “Hannity” that he dealt with a similar lack of urgency from the president for the months following a Norfolk-Southern derailment, which caused a long-term toxic situation in Columbiana County, Ohio, and Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
Conaway said that if Biden decided to visit the recovering community, he will be “welcomed,” but added that he is “a little too late.”
“He has promised that he will be here, but, you know, nobody’s holding their breaths.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
