In a recent press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was confronted by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy regarding President Joe Biden's contrasting responses to two separate natural disasters.
The question arose in the wake of Hurricane Idalia, to which Biden has shown a substantial response, and the Maui wildfires, which seemed to have elicited a less proactive stance from the president.
Doocy's query was aimed at understanding the disparity in the president's responses. "Did you guys realize that the initial Hawaii wildfire response was not that good, or is it just easier for people to get help from the White House when the president is not on vacation?" he asked, alluding to Biden's recent vacations to Rehoboth Beach and Lake Tahoe.
The question appeared to take aback other reporters present, including Peter Alexander of NBC News and Annie Linskey of the Wall Street Journal. Jean-Pierre, however, was quick to express her disagreement with the premise of Doocy's question.
"I disagree, just for the record," she stated, suggesting that Doocy consult with Hawaii officials for a more accurate account of the president's response to the Maui wildfires. According to Jean-Pierre, these officials, including the state's governor and U.S. senators, both Democrats, would confirm that Biden "reacted in record time."
"If you were to do your reporting and speak to the governor of Hawaii, the senators of Hawaii, the folks on the ground, they would say that the president reacted in record time when it came to dealing with the wildfires," Jean-Pierre asserted.
She further criticized Doocy's question, declaring it "flawed in many, many ways." Notably, Jean-Pierre did not suggest that Doocy consult with the residents of Maui, some of whom have expressed dissatisfaction with what they perceive as Biden's lackluster response to the wildfires.
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