Red Right Daily

Truth in Freedom

Rest Assured Maui, Joe Knows. He Had a Kitchen Fire Once

Rest Assured Maui, Joe Knows. He Had a Kitchen Fire Once

President Biden faced widespread criticism on Monday after he compared the deadly wildfires in Maui to his small kitchen fire.

Let’s get this straight, the Maui wildfires earlier this month killed well over 100 people, there are more than 1,000 still unaccounted for, and they destroyed nearly 3,000 structures, according to state and local officials.

And this is what the president said in identifying with them:

“I don’t want to compare difficulties, but we have a little sense, Jill and I, what it’s like to lose a home,” Biden said. “Years ago — now 15 years ago — I was in Washington doing ‘Meet the Press.’ It was a sunny Sunday, and lightning struck at home on a little lake that’s outside of our home — not a lake, a big pond — and hit a wire and came up underneath our home into the heating ducts — the air conditioning ducts.”

“To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my ‘67 Corvette, and my cat,” he continued. “But all kidding aside, I watched the firefighters, the way they responded.”

Biden said firefighters ran into the “flames” in his home “to save my wife and save my family. Not a joke.”

“The smoke — and the firefighters here can tell you — sometimes smoke is so thick. From the windows out, it was that thick inside the home. And we were — we were insured. We did not have any problem, but being out of our home for a better part of a year was difficult,” Biden added. “I can only imagine what it’s like to lose your home completely burned to the ground.”

But here is the kicker, a report from the Associated Press at the time said that the fire was “small” and “contained to the kitchen.” The Delaware fire chief said they got to the home quickly, and the situation was under control in a matter of minutes.

Biden’s comments were met with anger and disbelief by many, who pointed out that the Maui wildfires have killed at least 114 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

“This is not the time for jokes,” said one resident of Lahaina, one of the towns hardest hit by the fires. “People have lost everything. They’re grieving the loss of their loved ones and their homes. Biden’s comments are just insensitive.”

Others accused Biden of being out of touch with the reality of the situation.

“He’s never experienced anything like this,” said one critic. “He doesn’t know what it’s like to lose everything in a fire. His comments are just a slap in the face to the victims.”

Written by Mark Stevens - August 22, 2023