We reported on the horrible death toll in the fire in Maui, it's the worst in a century. Thousands of people need housing now, with so many homes and businesses just wiped out. Unfortunately, the death toll continues to rise. It's now at 96 and it's likely to go higher, as they continue to search the ruins with hundreds still missing. 

But in the midst of all that, Joe Biden created a controversy by refusing to even comment when asked about the rising death toll.

"After a couple hours on the Rehoboth Beach, @potus was asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii ‘No comment,’ he said before heading home," Bloomberg's Justin Sink posted on X.  

Then we saw the video with the smirk.  

Biden’s on vacation, so he’s not taking any questions. pic.twitter.com/SZPZZv1ZDA

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 14, 2023

As we noted, the White House response was less than stellar with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre misgendering and mispronouncing Sen Maizie Hirono, and tripping all over Sen. Brian Schatz's name. Those are the two senators from Hawaii. When you don't even bother to get people's names right, people tend to think that you might not care and are just phoning it in. 

But Jean-Pierre did establish it was "devastating devastation." 

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Wildfires in Hawaii have been "a devastating devastation."pic.twitter.com/81HcntmXTR

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 14, 2023

But has Biden spoken to any of the victims affected?  Not so much. 

"Has President Biden spoken to any family members of wildfire victims or plans to in the future?"

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: "I don't have any calls to speak to" pic.twitter.com/qTNSw3KYHF

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 14, 2023

Biden's cold response to the Maui question stunned and disturbed a lot of people including a Hawaii Democrat, former Hawaii state Rep. Mark Kaniela Ing. 

"I campaigned for you. Now, when I lose dozens of my friends, family, and neighbors. This?" Kaniela Ing wrote in a post that he later deleted.

Ing said he found the response "shocking" and out of character.

"When things like this happen, it's really the time to — if you do the kind of work I do, when the wave crests, you’ve got to paddle hardest," he said. "When tragedies like this occur, it's shocking to see people just conducting business as usual. … On the one hand, you don't want everyone to be in a perpetual somber mood, but on the other hand, how can you just carry on like that?"

"I think everyone deserves some time to take care of themselves, wind down, but, as someone in leadership role, you need to be ready any moment to offer some empathy and solace and comfort to people that are facing a lot of trauma right now," he said.

Kaniela Ing said he deleted his post because he thought Biden’s exchange with reporters may have been more nuanced than initially reported.

"Whether or not it was as dismissive as originally reported, it is quite disappointing," he added, adding, "I would expect more."

"He should be talking about what he’s done and what he will do," he said. "The talking and offering words of solace and comfort, great. I'm not too hung up on that, to be honest. What I'm looking for is action."

Unfortunately, we saw the video and the report of the reporter. There isn't a lot of "nuance" in "no comment." There are two choices: he had no idea what was being said (that's a problem) or he had every idea (and that's maybe even worse). Neither choice is a good one. 

But he's right, the folks in Maui deserve a whole lot more. At least pretend like you give a darn and you're not just more interested in your vacation. 

The problem is that it's right in character for Joe Biden, as the people of East Palestine, Ohio, know.  As even the people in Afghanistan in August 2021 found out, including Americans and our allies -- when he left them behind. 

😴 August 13, 2021: Biden takes off for a long-weekend as the Taliban takes over Afghanistan

🏖️ August 13, 2023: Biden spends the day at the beach and has “no comment” about a devastating wildfire on Maui pic.twitter.com/4f5b2TMZmX

— Chad Gilmartin (@ChadGilmartinCA) August 14, 2023

Unfortunately, it seems like a pattern with Joe Biden and disasters. That should concern us all when we have someone like that so unable to respond appropriately, the so-called "empathy" guy so lacking in basic empathy for the American people.