President Biden sparked outrage Thursday with a remark many deemed "disgusting" during his comments on the Los Angeles wildfires.
Biden met with senior officials to discuss the federal response to the Pacific Palisades wildfires. The fires have forced thousands of Californians to evacuate and destroyed countless homes and buildings.
After outlining the government’s disaster response, Biden handed the floor to Vice President Kamala Harris. He made a quip while doing so: "Madam Vice President, I know you're directly affected. So you fire away, no pun intended."
The comment quickly ignited backlash online.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS DUDE," exclaimed Redstate writer Bonchie.
"Is the empathy in the room with you now?" asked Kevin McMahon, Townhall.com’s video editor.
Townhall columnist Derek Hunter chimed in, saying, "Most of the time, @JoeBiden is just a mean, vindictive person… but in this case, I think this can be blamed on his senility."
Even Biden’s ally, Vice President Harris, seemed caught off guard. "Even Kamala at this point is like ‘You serious dude?’" remarked Stephen Miller of The Spectator.
Conservatives piled on. "Completely tone deaf," Libs of TikTok posted. Steve Guest added, "What a jerk." Writer Ben Kew noted, "Probably not the time to be making puns."
During the meeting, Biden announced the federal government would cover 100% of disaster response costs for the next 180 days. "That’s going to pay for debris removal, shelters, first responders’ salaries, and safety measures," he said. "I told officials: spare no expense. We’re doing everything we can at the federal level."
The president also faced criticism the day before during a meeting with Gov. Gavin Newsom and firefighters. After reaffirming support for the state, Biden shared personal news. "The good news is I’m a great-grandfather as of today," he announced.
This isn’t the first time Biden has been slammed for joking during a crisis. In 2023, he addressed the deadly Maui wildfires, which claimed over 100 lives.
Before a speech, Biden pet a search-and-rescue dog wearing boots and quipped, "You guys catch the boots out here? That’s some hot ground, man." The comment sparked similar backlash for being out of touch.