Biden Greeted With 'Joe Go Home' Chants As Angry Maui Residents Protest His Tour After Deadly Wildfires

While some residents greeted the president enthusiastically, others greeted him with middle fingers, chants of protest and signs that said “no comment."

New Delhi: US President Joe Biden visited Hawaii's Maui to tour wildfire damage on Monday, 13 days after the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century, and told the survivors of Hawaii's wildfires that the nation "grieves with you." He promised that the federal government will help “for as long as it takes” Maui to recover from damage caused by the wildfire.

Biden and First Lady Jill Biden toured the charred ruins of the blackened city of Lahaina. Dozens gathered on the streets to watch Biden's motorcade wind its way through the community. 

Some greeted the president enthusiastically, but others greeted him with middle fingers, chants of protest and signs that said “no comment" after he repeatedly declined to comment last week on the tragedy that killed at least 114 people.

"Go home Joe!" the locals chanted as Biden passed by moments before the president addressed the locals, despite criticism from residents who claimed that enough help has been offered.

After completing the tour, Biden said, “We’re focused on what’s next. That’s rebuilding for the long term …and doing it together. He added he would make sure "your voices are heard" and local traditions and wishes were respected, reported news agency Reuters.

"The American people stand with you," he told survivors of the August 8 wildfires. "For as long as it takes, we're going to be with you."

Standing near a severely burned 150-year-old banyan tree, Biden said, “Today it’s burned but it’s still standing,” according to a report by The Associated Press. “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.”

The wind-whipped firestorm that raged through Lahaina in west Maui killed at least 114 people and 850 people are still believed to be missing, down from over 2,000, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said overnight on Facebook.

Biden, who is seeking re-election in 2024, has been criticized by some Republicans and others after he went several days without speaking about the tragedy while vacationing at his Delaware beach house.