White House says Biden ‘didn’t hear’ question on Maui wildfires before answering ‘no comment’

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The White House changed its tune following backlash over President Biden responding “no comment” earlier this month to a question about the deadly wildfires on Maui.

Deputy White House press secretary Olivia Dalton told The New York Times Thursday that Biden, 80, “didn’t hear the question” while stepping into a vehicle during his family vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Aug. 13.

“He absolutely didn’t say ‘no comment’ in relation to Maui,” she told the outlet. “And in fact, he had already spoken to the nation about Maui at that point, in addition to being in daily contact with senior staff, FEMA and state officials as he marshaled a whole-of-government response to the fires.”

The Times did not clarify to what question the president believed he was responding, nor did Dalton explain why Biden did not simply indicate he hadn’t heard the reporter’s question as opposed to making the blanket “no comment” response.

The Aug. 8 blaze killed at least 114 people and left 850 missing, according to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.

Strong winds from Hurricane Dora fanned the flames of what became the deadliest wildfire in the US in more than a century, which ravaged the resort town of Lahaina.

Critics called on Biden to issue a response in the following days, but he declined to publicly comment when first asked.

On Aug. 15, two days after the “no comment” response, the president issued his first remarks on the disaster during a trip to Milwaukee, Wis., though he neglected to mention the island by name.

“My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been talking to the governor about. I don’t want to get in the way. I’ve been to too many disaster areas. But I want to go make sure we got everything they need. Want to be sure we don’t disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts.”

Several Republican presidential candidates slammed Biden appearing blasé about the disaster while enjoying the sand and sun in his home state of Delaware.

“To say ‘no comment’ is oftentimes fine, but to be smiling when you say it, especially against such a tragedy as this, is absolutely horrible and unacceptable,” former President Donald Trump said in an Aug. 14 video statement on Truth Social.

“Biden was on the beach while those people were suffering. He was asked about it and he said ‘no comment’. Are you kidding me?” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at Wednesday’s Republican primary debate. “As somebody that’s handled disasters in Florida, you’ve got to be activated. You’ve got to be there. You’ve got to be present. You’ve got to be helping people who are doing this.”

DeSantis, 44, declared a state of emergency last year to confront Hurricane Ian, which whipped up the Gulf Coast of Florida in late September 2022, killing 130 people.

The president signed a disaster declaration and later visited the Sunshine State with first lady Jill Biden, DeSantis and the governor’s wife, Casey, as recovery efforts began.

Biden left another vacation spot in Lake Tahoe, Nev., Monday to tour the devastation in Maui, where residents pleaded for emergency aid and hecklers held up signs reading “no comment.”

The oldest-ever president is seeking re-election despite concerns over his age and mental acuity.