Biden gaffe as President makes tone-deaf joke telling Harris to ‘fire away… no pun intended’ while LA wildfires rage and 10 die
A bumbling Joe Biden was caught on camera making one of the final gaffes of his presidency yesterday as he stepped up efforts to battle California’s deadly wildfires.
In a Thursday meeting at the White House’s Roosevelt Room, Biden told his Vice President Kamala Harris to “fire away, no pun intended” while discussing the federal response to the Palisades fires.
The flames have claimed 10 lives, forced thousands to flee their homes and destroyed numerous buildings across 30,000 acres of Los Angeles County in just a few days.
After Harris, a California native, shot a surprised look at the President, he repeated the same phrase to US Forest Service Chief Randy Moore.
“Chief, why don’t you fire away?” Biden said, as multiple fires continued to ravage Los Angeles.
Social media users quickly condemned the president’s remarks.
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS DUDE,” wrote Conservative blog Redstate writer Bonchie on social media.
“Is the empathy in the room with you now?” questioned Townhall.com video editor Kevin McMahon.
MORE BIDEN BLUNDERS:
- Joe Biden misses photo with G20 leaders after President disappears behind a palm tree in latest blunder
- Joe Biden in new gaffe as President says he’s ‘doing 9/11’
- Joe Biden makes new excruciating gaffe as he claims rescue workers have been handed ‘death penalties’
The Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller noted: “Even Kamala at this point is like: ‘You serious dude?'”
“Completely tone deaf,” said one social media user, whilst Conservative commentator Steve Guest called Biden “a jerk.”
Biden latest gaffe isn’t his only controversial moment during crisis.
Just one day earlier, whilst visiting a Santa Monica fire station, the President took time to announce: “The good news is I’m a great-grandfather as of today.”
He faced similar criticism in 2023 during the Maui wildfires, where he joked about a search and rescue dog’s boots, saying: “That’s some hot ground, man.”
The octogenarian Biden – having dismissed concerns over his age and mental acuity in the run-up to last year’s election – also admitted he might have been too old to serve another four years in the White House on Wednesday.
He told USA Today: “Who the hell knows? So far so good, but who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old.”