Joe Biden’s communications team is under pressure after the president made a number of apparent gaffes during his visit to Maui, including struggling to pronounce the names of local politicians and suggesting he empathized with islanders because he almost lost his ’67 Corvette in a minor house fire.
The president visited Maui on Monday with first lady Jill Biden following a devastating wildfire which killed at least 115 people, though that total is expected to rise as rescue workers continue making their way through the wreckage. Much of Lahaina, a town of Maui’s western coast, was destroyed with over 1,700 buildings reportedly torched.
On Monday, Biden met with local officials and first responders on Maui, insisting the federal government will help the island “for as long as it takes” to recover from the inferno. Speaking by a 150-year-old banyan tree, which was damaged by the blaze, he said: “The country grieves with you, stands with you and will do everything possible to help you recover.”
However, Biden struggled to pronounce the names of several Hawaiian members of Congress and local officials. He referred to Senator Brian Schatz as “Brian Schantz” before mentioning “Jill… er… To.. Tokuda” in an attempt to name a Hawaiian Democratic representative.
The president also suggested he empathized with islanders because of a minor 2004 housefire at his Delaware home.
Read more at Newsweek.com
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