White House announces Joe and Jill to visit Hawaii on Monday as Karine Jean-Pierre pushes back on criticism of Biden’s inaction on wildfire disaster as death toll hits 106

The White House announced that Joe and Jill Biden will visit Hawaii on Monday to meet with first responders and officials as the administration pushed back criticism of the president’s handling of the deadly wildfire.

“The President and First Lady will travel to Maui on Monday, August 21 to meet with first responders, survivors and federal, state and local officials in the wake of deadly wildfires on the island,” the White House announced.

Biden said Tuesday he wants to visit the state if he won’t interfere with rescue efforts. He was criticized earlier this week for refusing to comment on the fires that have devastated the island, killing more than 100 people.

And during his speech in Milwaukee, the president seemed to forget the name Maui, referring to the island as “the island you see on television all the time.”

But Biden did tell the crowd that he and the first lady want to visit the devastation.

“My wife Jill and I are going on a trip as soon as possible,” Biden told the crowd.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back on Wednesday at criticism of Biden’s handling of the Maui wildfires, insisting “we are 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.

“We take this incredibly seriously. The president has said, you’ve heard him say publicly that the first lady and himself are going to Hawaii, if we know they’re not disruptive,” she noted.

Tuesday’s remarks were Biden’s first major comments about one of the deadliest wildfires in US history.

Defending criticism that his government hasn’t done enough to help Maui, he said, “The Army helicopters helped suppress fire on the Big Island because there are still some fires on the Big Island — not the ones, not the ones you see all the time on television.’

The president was accused of being callous over the weekend. He was in Rehoboth Beach with the first lady and on his way to the beach with friends when asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii.

“No comment,” he replied.

But Jean-Pierre argued that Biden has faced many natural disasters during his presidency and has shown up for the people in crisis.

“Unfortunately, this president has faced many disasters in the past two years. He showed up and he’s been there,” she told CNN. “So we’ll be there for the people of Maui until they need us during this time.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to criticism of Biden’s handling of the Maui wildfires, insisting ‘we are taking this incredibly seriously’

A cadaver dog guides search and rescue personnel through a parking lot destroyed by the Lahaina fire that killed more than 100 people

Rescue teams are huddling as they try to find the 1,300 people who are still missing after the fire in Lahaina swept through the city last week. The death toll stands at more than 100

President Biden flies to posh Lake Tahoe on Friday for another summer vacation. He will remain there until next Thursday, per White House guidelines.

He will likely interrupt that trip to visit Hawaii, where the death toll stands at 106. And 1,300 people are still missing.

The fire that swept through Lahaina nearly a week ago destroyed nearly every building in the city of 13,000 and left a mountain of rubble in the resort town. That fire is 85% under control, according to the province. Another blaze, known as the Upcountry fire, is 60% contained, officials told the Associated Press.

There is an estimated $5.6 billion in damage.

Exclusive photos from DailyMail.com show how rescue efforts are still underway, even as hopes of being found alive in the devastated city are fading.

The poignant images also show how little is left standing in the historic city of Maui, which was home to more than 12,000 people until a week ago.

Thousands of people are staying in shelters, in hotel rooms and Airbnb units, or with friends.

About 2,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity and the fire has contaminated much of the water supply.