President Biden's recent joke about "hot ground" during his visit to Maui faced backlash from many, particularly on social media. He arrived in Hawaii to address the aftermath of devastating wildfires that claimed over 110 lives. Ahead of his speech, Biden interacted with officials and a search and rescue dog. While petting the dog, he made a light-hearted remark about the boots the dog was wearing. The comment, "That’s some hot ground, man," seemed inappropriate given the recent deadly wildfires.

Critics on social media found the comment insensitive, with some pointing out that the dog was involved in locating human remains. The White House deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates, defended Biden's interaction, explaining that the president was petting a dog that was helping search for remains to provide closure for survivors. Bates deemed the criticism "classless and stupid."

Biden's response to the wildfires has been criticized earlier as well. On August 14, he initially stated he had "no comment" on the rising death toll. The next day, he mentioned planning a visit to Hawaii with First Lady Jill Biden. A Maui resident appeared on CNN, expressing disappointment in the White House's lack of effort to help those affected.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen reported around 850 people still missing due to the wildfires. The incident has highlighted a growing sense of frustration and concern among residents, leading to questioning the president's response to the disaster.

Biden jokes about how hot the ground is while touring wildfire damage in Maui pic.twitter.com/lY18UQ36fP

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 21, 2023