Joe Biden under fire for multiple ‘no comment’ responses to Maui wildfire as critics say there is something ‘REALLY suspicious’ about the federal response to the disaster that killed more than 111 people

President Biden has come under increasing criticism for his nonchalant responses to the devastating wildfires in Maui that left at least 111 dead.

When the president was first asked about the blaze on Sunday, he told a reporter “no comment” as he lounged on the beach near his Delaware vacation home. His response sparked outrage from Republicans and even some of his Democratic allies.

And during a leisurely bike ride along the Delaware coast, Biden simply replied that he’s “looking into it” when another reporter asked him if he wanted to discuss the Maui tragedy.

On Tuesday, Biden seemed to forget the name Maui, referring to the island in a speech in Milwaukee as “the island you see on television all the time.”

Later in the speech, Biden cleaned up his language, saying that he and First Lady Jill would visit Hawaii “as soon as we can,” but that he didn’t want to “get in the way of recovery efforts” as the death toll rises.

The White House officially announced Wednesday that the president and Jill will travel to Maui Monday “to meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state and local officials in the wake of deadly wildfires.”

“Can you tell us about your trip to Hawaii?” asked a reporter on Thursday, curious about more details about the planned stop.

“No, not now,” Biden replied, drawing even more backlash.

Biden will fly from Lake Tahoe to Maui — arriving Friday for a vacation. The president originally planned to spend six days at the posh Nevada vacation spot, but chose to cut the trip short after a backlash.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was also put to the test in the White House briefing room about why Biden had not discussed the issue at length or announced a trip.

She countered criticism of the president’s handling of the Maui wildfires, urging Wednesday ahead of the official announcement, “we’re taking this incredibly seriously.”

“You will continue to hear from the president. He can’t wait to go to Maui to see for himself,” she told CNN’s This Morning.

The president also ignored multiple shouted questions from reporters throughout the week, who wanted an update on the federal response to the disaster.

He quickly ran past the mob of White House reporters, ignoring questions about the fire response as he made his way across the South Lawn to Marine One several times throughout the week.

At Camp David on Friday, Biden ignored questions after a photo shoot with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Leaders are expected to sign a new security pledge agreeing to consult with each other should a crisis arise in the Pacific, a plan that China has denounced as forming “exclusive groups and cliques” and will come when North Korea expected another round of missiles.

Biden’s initial “no comment” remark sparked outrage from even some of his Democratic allies.

“I campaigned for you,” Kaniela Ing, former Hawaii legislator, said Monday on X. “Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family and neighbors. This?’

Instagram influencer Rogan O’Handley wrote on Twitter, now known as “X,” that the more we learn about Hawaii, “the more we learn why Joe Biden has consistently responded with ‘no comment.’

“Something REALLY strange is going on here,” he continued.

President Biden completely ignored the people of eastern Palestine. Now he is giving the people of Maui the same treatment,” wrote Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on X.

Before Biden announced his visit, Republicans compared his lack of visits to eastern Palestine, Ohio — where a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals, displacing hundreds of people. Biden had promised to visit the Ohio city, but never did.

“Hey, maybe if we change Maui’s name to Ukraine, maybe they’ll pay attention to us,” said former Democratic Hawaii representative Tulsi Gabbard, who argued that a $700 one-time payment pales in comparison to the tens of billions the US spent on defending Ukraine from Russia.

In response to the criticism, President Biden promised Maui to provide assistance “as long as it is needed” ahead of his trip to the island.

“The whole nation is with you as you recover, rebuild and grieve,” Biden said in a taped message given to Good Morning America on Thursday.

The wildfire that broke out in the city of Lahaina on August 8 is now the deadliest in more than a century and the fifth deadliest on record for the US.

“We will be with you as long as it takes, I promise you,” the president added. He noted that the federal government has already taken action to send hundreds of emergency workers and thousands of meals and supplies to the flame-ravaged tourist town.

About 2,200 buildings were destroyed by the inferno and about 1,300 people are still missing.

Crews are expected to continue to search the charred debris and have deployed cadaver dogs to search for survivors.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than 3,000 people have applied for federal assistance and that number is expected to grow.

FEMA is providing $700 to displaced residents to cover the costs of food, water, first aid and medical supplies, in addition to qualifying coverage for the loss of homes and personal property.

The Biden administration is also seeking $12 billion more for the administration’s emergency relief fund, as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress.

Meanwhile, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency has also come under attack for its response to the fire and how citizens were warned of the danger.

Bureau administrator Herman Andaya defended the department’s decision not to set off Lahaina’s alarm system, arguing that the alarms are typically used for tsunamis and that civilians would have been trained to run for the hills – where the fire came from.

“The public is trained to seek higher ground when the siren sounds,” Andaya said at a news conference.

“If we had sounded the siren that night, we are afraid that people would have gone mauka (to the mountainside) and if they did, they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya said.

But Andaya resigned on Thursday after backlash over the botched response.