For weeks, President Joe Biden has enjoyed luxurious vacations filled with golf and beach days — but now, questions are arising about his latest trip.
After a Maui wildfire ravaged the area, many expected the President to take some time out of his vacation to speak with those affected by the disaster. He obliged, spending a mere five hours in the area.
Unfortunately for the President, what was clearly meant to be a PR stunt ended up backfiring. From the outset, people were not happy with his visit and made it clear that they hadn’t forgotten a comment Biden made about the fire during an earlier interview, saying, “I had no idea.”
But it only got worse from there. During his brief visit, Biden got the name of one of the Hawaiian officials wrong, saying “Griswell” when her name is actually “Deanne Criswell.” He also noted that the late Senator Dan Inouye was “from Japan,” despite the fact that Inouye was born in Hawaii. It seemed as if Biden was zoning out for parts of the visit, and it became incredibly awkward when he was left unfinished at the end of his speech and Senator Brian Schatz had to come in and help him out.
But even more embarrassingly, Biden spent much of his time praising himself, discussing the death of his first wife and child as well as his own house fire. People were outraged and said it was “twisted” for him to bring up his own struggles at a time when those affected by the fire were still piecing their lives back together.
The President didn’t depart unscathed — citizens were outside the Lahaina Civic Center chanting expletives and other onlookers on the street reportedly shouted at him to go home.
Now, this isn’t the only issue surrounding the President’s trip. Nevada media outlets are reporting that the President’s stay at billionaire Tom Steyer’s home in Lake Tahoe is being investigated by the Douglas County code enforcement team. Residents are alleging that Steyer’s house was advertised as a vacation rental — something which requires a permit in this area. If Steyer or Biden are found to be in violation of this code, they could be faced with a steep fine of up to $20,000.
The White House has declined to comment on the matter and has so far been silent about what “fair market value” is for rent of the property.
It is yet another example of how President Biden appears to be exempt from following the rules that apply to everyone else.
At this time, the President is still taking a break from his vacation and towards Lake Tahoe until Saturday. The people of Hawaii and fans all across the nation can only hope that it will be a better experience for everyone this time around.
