OnPolitics: Biden met with grief in Maui after devastating wildfires
Hi OnPolitics readers. President Joe Biden visited Maui this week after deadly wildfires devastated the island.
Biden’s experience with personal loss has burnished his reputation as empathizer-in-chief. But he came under scrutiny for declining to comment on wildfire relief while relaxing at his Rehoboth Beach home earlier this month, Paste BN’s Maureen Groppe and Francesca Chambers report.
He also faced criticism for waiting to visit Maui for nearly two weeks after the fires, a delay the White House said was necessary to avoid interfering with search and rescue efforts.
What Maui residents are saying: Ashley Correa told Paste BN she has a lot of questions about the government’s response to the wildfires that devastated her home island of Maui. Why wasn’t it faster? Why wasn’t the emergency cash assistance greater? What will rebuilding look like?
The 32-year-old real estate agent who has been part of private efforts to help friends, family and fellow Maui residents recover from the deadly wildfires hoped President Joe Biden would get local feedback during his visit Monday to inspire him “to do more to help.”
“Maybe he needs that firsthand, in-person experience,” Correa said shortly before Air Force One landed in Hawaii.
Read more here: Biden visited Maui after devastating wildfires. He was met with grief over relief efforts.
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