The hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday dismissed criticism of President Joe Biden’s remarks on his recent trip to Hawaii, calling it “shock opera nonsense” pushed by conservatives to make Biden look bad.
Scarborough cited a few Maui residents who were apparently pleased by the president’s visit – which came nearly two weeks after fires ravaged the Hawaiian island’s western shore, devastating the historic village of Lahaina — Scarborough argued that anyone who was criticizing him lived in an “alternate reality.”
“Note the overwhelmingly positive response from local residents in the Maui paper and the stark contrast compared to the shock opera nonsense pushed by Trumpy outlets today,” Scarborough said via X. “Same with the BS ‘sleep’ narrative that created an alternate reality.”
He also quoted an article that showed Lahaina’s mayor, Richard Bissen, as saying, “Hope. I think that’s the main thing. I think that’s what the president brings when he comes to any community. People look to him as our leader. We look at him as the one that controls all the federal agencies, and he is able to get things.”
That article left out some important context — namely that as the death toll in Maui began to climb, Biden was approached near his Rehoboth Beach vacation home and asked to weigh in on the tragic developments. His response quickly sparked criticism as he replied, “No. No comment.”
After a brief return to D.C., the president left on another vacation in Lake Tahoe when he jetted to Maui, spending just hours there before returning to Lake Tahoe.
When Biden did address the people of Maui, he raised eyebrows by comparing a small kitchen fire — which was contained in a matter of minutes — to the massive fires that had destroyed homes and businesses in addition to taking more than 100 lives. He even joked with the devastated locals about how he had “almost” lost his cat and his ’67 Corvette.
Note the overwhelmingly positive response from local residents in the Maui paper and the stark contrast compared to the shock opera nonsense pushed by Trumpy outlets today. Same with the BS “sleep” narrative that created an alternate reality. https://t.co/2veNviTjHc
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 23, 2023
