Joe Biden Backtracks on Maui Visit After Hawaii Response Receives Backlash

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to the Hawaiian island of Maui in the wake of the deadly wildfires there on August 21, the White House has announced.

In a statement on Wednesday morning, the office of the president said he will go to the island on Monday to "meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state, and local officials."

It comes a day after Biden pledged that he would visit Hawaii "as soon as we can" to survey the ongoing recovery, but expressed caution about his presence disrupting those efforts. "I don't want to get in the way," he said.

Biden faced criticism for not explicitly committing to visit Maui, after what some saw as a dismissive response to the death toll on the island while staying at his Delaware beach house, reportedly brushing off questions about the disaster from journalists.

The announcement marks an about-turn from Tuesday's remarks, offering both a definitive date and confirmation that Biden will travel to the island of Maui.

"In Maui, the President and First Lady will be welcomed by state and local leaders to see first-hand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery effort," the White House said.

It added: "The President continues to marshal a whole-of-government response to the deadly Maui fires, and he has committed to delivering everything that the people of Hawaii need from the federal government as they recover from this disaster."

Large bush fires on Maui caused power outages, mass evacuations and extensive destruction to the historic resort town of Lahaina. The fires broke out early last week and spread rapidly on hurricane-driven winds from a passing storm.

So far, 106 people have been confirmed as dead and more than 1,000 remain unaccounted for as emergency responders comb burned homes for human remains. Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79—both Lahaina residents—have been identified among the dead. A further three bodies had been identified, but their names have not been released while their families are being notified.

In the latest update, County of Maui officials said that the fire around Lahaina—which spanned an estimated 2,170 acres—was 85 percent under control, with multiple fire crews monitoring it. Another blaze on the island is now entirely contained, while a third was 75 percent so.

Biden has faced criticism from political opponents over his response to the crisis, which has been compared to his reaction to a toxic spill in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier in the year. The Biden administration gave a similar reason for not visiting the town, drawing the ire of Republicans and local lawmakers over his decision to visit Kyiv ahead of the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine instead of the crash site.

His announcement that affected households in Maui would be eligible for a one-off $700 payment on Monday was also described as "insulting" by detractors.

Presidential visits require complex security arrangements that usually involve a large number of staff and vehicles, as well as supplies and accommodation for his detail. A visit by Biden could be viewed as potentially overwhelming to a relatively remote recovery operation.

Biden declared a federal disaster in response to the wildfires on Maui on Thursday. The day before, he expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those who had died and added that he was "grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harm's way to save lives."

Newsweek approached the White House via email for further comment on Wednesday.

Update 08/16/23, 10:03 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include further details.