Fire away, no pun intended: Biden faces heat for faux pas at wildfire briefing

US President Joe Biden faced backlash for repeatedly using the phrase “fire away” during a White House briefing on the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County. The fires have claimed at least 16 lives and forced over 180,000 residents to evacuate.

During the briefing, Biden (82) turned to Vice President Kamala Harris, a California native, and gave her a pat on the hand as he said, “Madam Vice President, I know you’re directly affected, so you fire away.”

Harris appeared momentarily stunned at Biden’s pun, prompting the outgoing President to add a quick, “No pun intended.”

Moments later though, he repeated the phrase while addressing US Forest Service Chief Randy Moore: “Chief, why don’t you fire away?”

The comments were met with immediate backlash, with many calling them “tone-deaf” and “insensitive.”

On social media, the reaction was swift and harsh. One user posted on X, “Is there something funny about this? Absolutely disgusting.”

Another commenter said, “Jeez, it’s one thing for us to make jokes and memes about it, but our leaders should take these situations seriously.”

The President’s poor choice of words came a day after another controversial off-the-cuff. While visiting a fire station in Santa Monica, he announced, “The good news is I’m a great-grandfather as of today,” which critics deemed tactless given the dire circumstances faced by thousands of Californians.

During Thursday’s briefing, Biden also defended California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats, while blaming utility companies for water outages that hampered firefighting efforts.

“I know you’re getting a bad rap about ‘these fire hydrants don’t have enough water in them.’ Give me a break. Give me a break,” he said.

He suggested the companies cut power to prevent additional fires but inadvertently shut off water supplies needed for hydrants.

Biden also hit out at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for the lack of water in hydrants, and dismissed “uninformed” critics of local officials—a veiled jab at President-elect Donald Trump, who earlier called for Newsom’s resignation.

Trump alleged that Newsom prioritised protecting an endangered fish species over directing water to fight the fires.

Biden’s comments have amplified scrutiny of his handling of the crisis as he prepares to leave office, with many social media users questioning his sensitivity and judgment during such a catastrophe.