Joe Biden and Kamala Harris recently held a briefing on the devastating California wildfires, and if this was meant to be a show of leadership, it fell laughably short. In what we can only describe as a tone-deaf display, Biden and Harris turned the event into a cringe-worthy disaster, proving yet again how out of touch they are with the American people.
For Biden, this might have been his final chance to pretend that he’s steering the ship. And for Harris, it felt like a last-ditch effort to cosplay as a president before Trump takes office next week. Their performance wasn’t just uninspiring — it was downright insulting to the victims of these wildfires.
Reading off a script like a man reciting a grocery list, Biden proudly announced that even though the fires are still going on, relief is coming now.
“I want to be clear,” Biden said, trying to sound commanding and in charge. “We're not waiting until those fires are over to start helping the victims. We're getting them help right now.”
“As you all know, people impacted by these fires are going to receive [a] one-time payment of $770. One-time payment so they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula, and prescriptions. So far, nearly 6,000 survivors have registered to do just that, and $5.1 million has gone out.”
BIDEN: "People impacted by these fires are gonna receive one-time payment of $770. One-time payment." pic.twitter.com/9E7Toj5BEo
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 14, 2025
Let that sink in: $770 for people who lost their homes and livelihoods. Are we supposed to be impressed that this is a whole 20 bucks more than the Biden-Harris administration offered to residents who lost everything from Hurricane Helene back in October?
And guess what? The election may be over, but Kamala still got a speaking part in this production of faux leadership.
Related: The Left Can't Scapegoat Republicans for Botched Wildfire Response
“And so it's critically important that to the extent you can find anything that gives you an ability to be patient in this extremely dangerous and unprecedented crisis that you do,” she said.
Kamala to wildfire victims: "It's critically important that, to the extent you can find anything that gives you an ability to be patient in this extremely dangerous and unprecedented crisis, that you do." pic.twitter.com/zjV2KVxr8u
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 14, 2025
That right, her swan song as vice president was to tell victims of the wildfires to “be patient.”
Of course, she’s telling them to be patient. After promising victims of Hurricane Helene last year $750 to help them through the disaster, many victims reported being unable to get that paltry sum. Maybe because California is a blue state, aid may come quicker than it did in North Carolina, but certainly, these victims are not getting as much aid as Ukraine keeps getting — or as quickly. The election is over, Trump is taking office next week, you can bet that Trump is going to inherit a mess of a federal relief effort from Joe and Kamala and the media will be ready to blame Trump for it.
Still, as the Biden-Harris term mercifully nears its end, there’s a glimmer of hope for greater competence and accountability in the future. Americans deserve leaders who prioritize them — not ones who dish out scraps while funneling billions overseas. This briefing wasn’t just a failure; it was a national embarrassment.
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