President Joe Biden said he had “no comment” on the death toll in Maui, Hawaii, on Sunday while relaxing on the beach.
Hawaii’s wildfires claimed the lives of at least 96 people as of Monday.
The president departed for his beach home in Rehoboth, Delaware, on Friday and is set to come back Monday. He spent his days biking and going to the beach.
He also told reporters the administration was “looking at” whether he was going to make a trip to Maui.
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden waves as he rides his bicycle through Gordons Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on August 13, 2023. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden issued a disaster declaration for the island Thursday, saying the federal government is “working as quickly as possible” to fight the fires. (RELATED: ‘Up To Our Necks’: Teen Describes Escaping Maui Wildfires, Standing In Ocean For Hours On End)
“We have just approved a major disaster declaration of- for Hawaii, which will get aid into the hands of the people desperate- desperately needing help now. They’ve lost- anyone who’s lost a loved one, whose home has been damaged or destroyed is going to get help immediately,” Biden said Thursday.
“And I’ve directed that we surge support to these brave firefighters and first responders and emergency personnel working around the clock. They’re risking their lives,” he added. Biden noted he spoke to Democratic Hawaii Gov. Josh Green “and let him know” he’s going “to make sure the state has everything it needs from the federal government to recover.”