Biden's 'fire away' remark during LA wildfire briefing shocks social media: 'Absolutely disgusting'
President Biden made what many considered a "disgusting" joke during his remarks on the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires Thursday.
Biden convened senior administrative officials to address the federal response to the Pacific Palisades wildfires that have continued to rage throughout the county, forcing the displacement of thousands of California citizens and destroying thousands of homes and buildings.
After briefing the public on the federal government’s plan to help local officials during the disaster, Biden gave the floor to Vice President Kamala Harris, who hails from California, and made a quick joke.
"Madam Vice President, I know you're directly affected. So you fire away, no pun intended," Biden said.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, KILLING 5 AND THREATENING THOUSANDS OF HOMES
X users were quickly shocked by the comment and began blasting the president.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS DUDE," Redstate writer Bonchie exclaimed.
"Is the empathy in the room with you now?" Townhall.com video editor Kevin McMahon wrote.
Townhall.com columnist Derek Hunter wrote, "Most of the time, @JoeBiden is just a mean, vindictive person (has been his whole career), but in this case I think this can be blamed on his senility."
The Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller remarked, "Even Kamala at this point is like ‘You serious dude?’"
"Completely tone deaf," Libs of TikTok wrote.
"What a jerk," Conservative commentator Steve Guest said.
Conservative writer Ben Kew remarked, "Probably not the time to be making puns."
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During the briefing, Biden announced that the federal government will cover 100% of the costs of disaster response over the next 180 days.
"That's going to pay for things like debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters, first responders' salaries, and all of the safety measures to protect life and property," he said. "I want to underscore, I told the governor and local officials: spare no expense. And we're doing literally everything we can at the federal level."
Biden had already faced backlash one day earlier during a meeting with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and firefighter officials.
After signing a disaster declaration and reiterating his support for the state, Biden took the time to announce the birth of his first great-grandson.
"The good news is I'm a great-grandfather as of today," Biden said.
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Biden was also criticized for a joke in a similar situation in 2023 after addressing the devastating wildfires that took the lives over 100 people in Maui.
Prior to a speech he made on site, Biden met and shook hands with a group of officials, stopping in front of a search and rescue dog. While petting the dog, he joked about the boots the canine was wearing.
"You guys catch the boots out here?" Biden appeared to ask the press watching him. He smiled and said, "That’s some hot ground, man."