Maui wildfires: Joe Biden visits Hawaiian island after days of criticism

Published

2 years ago

August 22, 2023

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Joe Biden has visited the wildfire-hit island of Maui – following days of criticism over his response to the crisis.

The president and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, arrived on the Hawaiian island on Monday – 13 days after the wildfires that claimed at least 114 lives and devastated the historic town of Lahaina.

After touring, the damage, he promised the federal government would help Maui “for as long as it takes” to recover from the devastation.

“The country grieves with you, stands with you and will do everything possible to help you recover,” he said in a speech, delivered next to a 150-year-old banyan tree in Old Lahaina which had been burned in the fires.

“Today it’s burned, but it’s still standing,” Mr Biden said of the tree.

“The tree survived for a reason. I believe it’s a very powerful symbol of what we can and will do to get through this crisis.”

Criticism of Biden’s response

It comes after Biden and his administration faced criticism over the response to the wildfires – the deadliest in the US in more than a century.

A protestor held out a banner urging “relief for Maui now” as the president’s motorcade weaved through the streets of Lahaina, while another signed urged Mr Biden to “listen to the people”.

It comes after former Democratic Hawaii Representative, Tulsi Gabbard, compared the response to the wildfires in Hawaii – the 50th state of the US – to America’s support for Ukraine.

“Maybe if we change the name of Maui to Ukraine, maybe they will pay attention to us,” she said.

Biden also faced criticism from former president Donald Trump – the current frontrunner amongst Republicans to challenge him at next year’s presidential elections.

Mr Trump said it was “disgraceful” that his successor had not responded more quickly to the crisis.

However, The White House has pushed back against the criticism, insisting that the president had kept in close touch with the governor and other emergency officials on Maui throughout the unfolding crisis.

More than $8.5m (£6.6m) worth of aid has also been distributed to some 8,000 affected families, according to Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Analysis: Presidential visits to disaster zones are always politically fraught

Remember that 2005 image of George W Bush glimpsing down from an Air Force One window at a destroyed New Orleans? It was a disastrous moment quickly etched in presidential history.

Presidential visits to disaster zones are always politically fraught.

Go too early and the charge will be that the entourage is getting in the way of the rescue and recovery. Go too late and the charge will be that the president doesn’t care enough. Or, in Bush’s case, don’t go at all.

Optics and tone are drawn on fine lines. Showcasing compassion can easily be interpreted as a photo op.

President Biden is good at empathy and it was on show for this visit to the devastated Hawaiian island of Maui.

As he often does with grieving communities, he reminded them that he knows grief. He spoke about losing his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash in 1972. He recalled wondering how life would go on.

There has been criticism of the president for not coming sooner, for not speaking about it for four days after, and for an apparently slow federal response.

The presidential election is still over a year away but make no mistake, brutal American electioneering is in full swing.

Still, it did look like his presence was appreciated. There was loud applause when he reiterated the pledge that federal help to rebuild will be led by locals.

“We’re going to get it done for you but get it done the way you want it done, not done somebody else’s way,” he said. “I mean it.”

The town at the heart of the fire was once the seat of power for the ancient Hawaiian kingdom.

Native Hawaiians worry, always, that they are left out and that this will be no different – that they will be again as this island rebuilds and recovers.

‘We are going to rebuild’

Mr Biden and his wife – who interrupted a weeklong holiday in Lake Tahoe for the trip – spent most of their visit to Maui in the town of Lahaina, which has been largely destroyed by the wildfires.

They also met with first responders, were briefed by state and local officials about the ongoing response, and took part in a blessing by island elders.

It comes after The White House announced on Monday that it had appointed Bob Fenton, a regional leader at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to be the chief federal response coordinator for the Maui wildfires.

He will be responsible for long-term recovery efforts.

As well as a place popular with tourists, Lahaina also had great cultural significance, as the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii and as a home to a number of historical buildings.

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“We’re going to rebuild the way the people of Maui want to rebuild,” said Mr Biden, adding that his administration would be focused on respecting sacred lands, cultures and traditions.

Hundreds still missing

On Sunday, Hawaii senator Brian Schatz said around 85% of the area affected by the wildfires had been searched.

As many as 850 people are recorded as missing, according to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, who said it was of some relief that the figure had come down from the more than 2,000 names on the original list.

“We are both saddened and relieved about these numbers as we continue the recovery process,” Mr Bissen said.

“The number of identified will rise, and the number of missing may decrease.”

US

Donald Trump plans to hit Canada with new tariff – while warning of blanket hike for other countries

Published

1 day ago

July 11, 2025

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Donald Trump plans to hit Canada with new tariff - while warning of blanket hike for other countries

Donald Trump has said he plans to hit Canada with a 35% tariff on imported goods, as he warned of a blanket 15 or 20% hike for most other countries.

In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the US president wrote: “I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers.”

Mr Trump’s tariffs were allegedly an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling, and the US president has expressed frustration with Canada’s trade deficit with the US.

In a statement Mr Carney said: “Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1.”

He added: “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”

Mr Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries so far, including one putting a 50% tariff on Brazil in part for the ongoing trial of its former president Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after he lost the election in 2022.

Mr Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.

The higher rates would go into effect on 1 August.

Shortly after Mr Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on 2 April, there was a huge sell-off on the financial markets. The US president later announced a 90-day negotiating period, during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.

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But in an interview with Sky News’s partner network NBC News, Mr Trump said he plans to impose higher blanket tariffs on most US trade partners.

“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%. We’ll work that out now,” he said.

He added: “I think the tariffs have been very well-received. The stock market hit a new high today.”

The US and UK signed a trade deal in June, with the US president calling it “a fair deal for both” and saying it will “produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income”.

Sir Keir Starmer said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”

The US president also teased a “major statement” he will make on Russia over its war with Ukraine.

“I’m disappointed in Russia, but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” he said.

“I think I’ll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday.”

It comes as Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington on bilateral problems could take place before the end of the summer.

US

Palestinian activist detained by ICE suing Trump administration for $20m

Published

1 day ago

July 11, 2025

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A Palestinian activist who was detained for over three months in a US immigration jail after protesting against Israel is suing Donald Trump’s administration for $20m (£15m) in damages.

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil have filed a claim against the administration alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his role in campus protests.

The 30-year-old graduate student at Columbia University told Sky News’s lead world presenter Yalda Hakim being detained by ICE agents in March “felt like kidnapping”.

He described “plain-clothed agents and unmarked cars” taking him “from one place to another, expecting you just to follow orders and shackled all the time”, which he said was “really scary”.

Mr Khalil said he was not presented with an arrest warrant and wasn’t told where he was being taken.

He said the detention centre he was taken to was “as far from humane as it could be” and “a place where you have no rights whatsoever”.

“You share a dorm with over 70 men with no privacy, with lights on all the time, with really terrible food. You’re basically being dehumanised at every opportunity. It’s a black hole,” he added.

Mr Khalil said he would also accept an official apology from the Trump administration.

The Trump administration celebrated Mr Khalil’s arrest, promising to deport him and others whose protests against Israel it declared were “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity”.

Mr Khalil said after around 36 hours in captivity he was allowed to speak to his wife, who was pregnant at the time.

“These were very scary hours, I did not know what was happening on the outside. I did not know that my wife was safe,” he said.

‘Absolutely absurd allegations’

Mr Khalil said administration officials had made “absolutely absurd allegations” by saying he as involved in antisemitic activities and supporting Hamas.

“They are weaponising antisemitism, weaponising anti-terrorism in order to stifle speech,” he said. “What I was engaged in is simply opposing a genocide, opposing war crimes, opposing Columbia University’s complicity in the war on Gaza.”

A State Department spokesperson said its actions toward Mr Khalil were fully supported by the law.

Asked about missing the birth of his son while he was in prison, Mr Khalil said: “I don’t think there’s any word that can describe the agony and the sadness that I went through, to be deprived from such a divine moment, from a moment that my wife and I had always dreamed about.”

Meanwhile, the deportation case against Mr Khalil is continuing to wind its way through the immigration court system.

US

Donald Trump praises Liberian president’s English – the country’s official language

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2025

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Donald Trump praises Liberian president's English - the country's official language

Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.

The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.

After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”

Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.

The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.

“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”

Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.

The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.

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Mr Trump promised the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau a pivot from aid to trade at the surprise meeting.

He described the countries as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people”.

Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”

But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.

Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.