American leader Joe Biden found himself in the eye of the storm recently with a notable blunder while managing a critical conversation focusing on the raging wildfires tormenting Los Angeles. His words were uttered in the illustrious Roosevelt Room of the White House where he stood flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris. Amid tackling a calamity of such extensive scale, Biden let a pun slip, telling anyone in the range, ‘fire away’, as though to add a misguided touch of humor.
Biden’s folly was even more apparent when he leveraged the same line while addressing his vice president. ‘Madam Vice President, I know you’re direly affected, so you fire away,’ said Biden, handing over the reins of the discussion to Harris. Harris’ baffled expression in response to Biden’s pun-punctuated address was a sight that seemed to echo the sentiments of millions.
Trying to backtrack from his initial faux pas, Biden quickly added, ‘No pun intended,’ but the damage seemed to have been done. The leader of the free world repeating his pun blunder with US Forest Service Chief Randy Moore raised eyebrows, when he said, ‘Chief, why don’t you fire away?’ This left onlookers questioning the president’s aptitude to maintain the much-needed dignity associated with the highest office.
Joe Biden, alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom, has received much flak for not living up to the responsibilities their offices demand, especially in times where one of their nation’s wealthiest regions was going up in flames. Their lacklusn of assertiveness during such a major disaster met with considerable derision across various social media platforms.
Social media was not forgiving towards Biden’s insensitive pun, ridiculing him for not keeping the stature of his office intact. ‘Is his sense of empathy nestled in that room with him?’ questioned one of the users. Another user pointed out Harris’s reaction as a telltale sign of the lack of presidential decorum, ‘The shocked expression on Harris’s face says it all.’
You can see another user making his disappointment apparent by saying, ‘Yet another lackluster display by our so-called courageous leader.’ It is, thus, widely accepted that this is just one more addition to the long list of Biden’s public gaffes, which have been on an alarming rise in recent years.
As Biden pathetically navigates his way through the remaining part of his presidency, it has become increasingly clear that his role is akin more to a ‘gaffe-generating machine’ rather than a ‘president’. This outrageous blundering led the Democratic Party to reluctantly make him step down midway into the campaign last year, with his cognitive deterioration being a prime reason.
The wildfires, ever since they took hold of Los Angeles County, have caused devastating damage, wiping out a staggering 30,000 acres of land in a matter of days, leading to the tragic demise of 10 unlucky souls in the process. They now stand on the brink of becoming one of America’s most costly natural disasters.
The financial impact of the LA wildfires is steadily escalating. Already, the estimated loss has soared past the $135 billion mark. And as cost projections continue to rise, the total sum of losses could reach up to $150 billion, setting a fearsome record for the country.
Wildfires, though a part of the natural cycle, are seeing an unprecedented change in their dynamics due to climate change caused primarily by human actions. Even though scientists unanimously endorse this claim, it’s hard to see any strong preventive measures taken by the current administration, whose stances in these critical matters seem to betray a sense of ambivalence.
The last two wet years have been followed by an extremely dry spell in Southern California providing an abundance of dry fuel, eventually leading to the catastrophic fires. Despite such a clear setup for disaster, the present administration appears to have done little to proactively mitigate risks.