Republicans Pounce on Biden’s ‘No Comment’ on Maui Wildfires

Republicans are seizing on comments by President Joe Biden over the weekend on the Maui wildfires in which he refused to discuss the issue with press.

The president was vacationing in Delaware over the weekend. During a bike ride on Sunday, Biden told reporters he's "looking at" the situation, but it was comments later in the day that critics capitalized on.

Asked by a reporter if he had a comment on the rising death toll from the fires, Biden said "no" and then appears to say "no comment," though the latter is not fully captured on audio, but can be clearly seen.

The "no comment" moment has since been trending on Twitter and gotten play on networks like Fox News. Biden's Republican critics have blasted the moment as heartless.

"Biden doesn’t give AF [a f–k] about the suffering people of Maui," former Donald Trump administration official Monica Crowley tweeted.

"He just came back from a 14 day beach vacation. Spent 4 days in DC, now is back on the beach and has no comment for wildfires that wiped out entire communities. Just incredible stuff," Spectator editor Stephen L. Miller wrote in reaction.

Other vocal Biden critics like controversial Arizona Republican Kari Lake also blasted the president over the moment.

Just days before Biden's "no comment" moment, he released a statement on the wildfires, announcing immediate aid from the National Guard, Coast Guard, and more.

"Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the wildfires in Maui, and our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses, and communities destroyed. We are grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harm’s way to save lives," he wrote.

A White House official noted the president's specific work so far in response to The Messenger.

"President Biden has mobilized and led a whole-of-government response to the wildfires in Hawaii from the beginning, working closely on it and receiving detailed briefings every day since," the statement reads. "Yesterday he received two updates from FEMA Administrator Criswell while she was on the ground. As Governor Green stressed yesterday, within six hours of receiving Hawaii’s request, President Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration and ordered all available federal resources in the state to help with the response."

The Maui death toll has topped 90 and devastated Lahaina, with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, D, saying there is "very little left" of the town.