A CNN host blasted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre over her response to the Maui wildfires.
CNN's Sara Sidner criticized Jean-Pierre for telling impacted residents to use FEMA's website when there was no power on the island.
How are they supposed to register when there isn't power? https://t.co/8Wbu9t36hf
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 17, 2023
“Karine I do want to ask you about that because FEMA was on the ground, they have been criticized in past disasters for not getting there quickly enough. But in this case, they were on the ground quickly," Snider said.
"I do want to ask you, though, you talk about people having to call that number, they have to register, as we understand it. Call the number, go to the website. But here is the big problem we’re hearing on the ground, there is no power, they are having very spotty cell service, it’s very difficult to communicate, and they are restricted in their movement,” she noted.
Today's cover: Biden refuses to answer questions about Maui trip as wildfire death toll hits 111: ‘No, not now’ https://t.co/VgwGfFvkyk pic.twitter.com/mqBAn7zfmn
— New York Post (@nypost) August 18, 2023
"The White House announced Wednesday that Biden would visit Maui on Aug. 21 — taking a break from a planned weeklong vacation at Lake Tahoe, Nevada," the New York Post reported.
"The Biden administration has authorized a $700 relief grant to fire victims, but even that has come under criticism for allegedly being stingy relative to much greater spending on other priorities, such as $113 billion in funding to date sent to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion," it added.
Biden was also on vacation during the Maui fires, only addressing the situation a full week after the wildfires began.
The president also angered many Americans by smiling and saying "no comment" when asked about the serious situation.
The response has been too little and too late for many Americans, with some referring to Maui as Biden's Katrina, a reference to the controversial Hurricane Katrina response that defined former President George W. Bush's time in office.
The press secretary's exchange with CNN did not help but highlighted the weaknesses of the response from the Biden administration during the tragic event.
