We've mentioned Joe's bizarre propensity to share embellished tall tales and complete fabrications, even after they've been discredited or debunked. He often punctuates these stories with comments like 'not a joke' or 'swear to God' or 'I mean it.' He did so twice during his recent speech in Wisconsin, en route to which he flew directly over East Palestine, Ohio -- a community he never visited after a devastating train derailment. He was also recently accused by a Gold Star mother of again mischaracterizing the circumstances of his eldest son's death, something he has done repeatedly (he's also lied about the details of an accident killed his first wife and daughter). Over and over again, throughout his adult life, Joe Biden has done this sort of thing, about matters big and small. It's pathological.
During his visit to Hawaii yesterday -- which he managed to squeeze in after his 'no comment' debacle, and amid various vacations -- Biden invoked the memories of loved ones he's lost, then uncorked a version of an anecdote he's relayed before. Indeed, we even mentioned it in this post. Flashback:
President Biden said last week that his house burned down with his wife Jill Biden inside...Speaking on a New Hampshire bridge on Tuesday about his bipartisan infrastructure plan, Biden said, "Without this bridge, as I said earlier, it’s a 10-mile detour just to get to the other side. And I know, having had a house burn down with my wife in it — she got out safely, God willing — that having a significant portion of it burn, I can tell: 10 minutes makes a hell of a difference." Biden has recalled the story before, saying in 2013 that a fire "destroyed a significant portion" of his New Hampshire home. However, a 2004 report from the Associated Press, archived by LexisNexis, said lightning struck the Bidens’ home and started a "small fire that was contained to the kitchen." The report said firefighters got the blaze under control in 20 minutes and that they were able to keep the flames from spreading beyond the kitchen.
This rendition was somewhat tweaked, but still seems rather exaggerated:
Biden tells Maui wildfire victims, "I don't want to compare difficulties, but..." then tells a made up story about losing his house to a fire.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 22, 2023
According to a 2004 AP report, it was “a small fire...contained to the kitchen” that “was under control in 20 minutes.” pic.twitter.com/DNY0Tyatg7
Not a joke, he says. A tell. Did he "almost lose" his wife, car, and cat in a fire that was actually contained to the kitchen? Was he there to witness the firefighters battling the blaze, or was he in Washington, DC appearing on Meet the Press? Given the ease and frequency with which he makes things up (this habit long predates the cognitive issues associated with his advanced age), it's hard to tell what "memories" are real when Joe Biden recounts them. With at least 850 people still missing in Maui, many of whom presumed dead, Biden finally showed up, after separate vacations at the beach and mountains (vacations during crises is sort of his thing).
As others have pointed out, it's impossible to have lived through Hurricane Katrina and not recall how President Bush was absolutely pilloried for flying over the flooding, peering out the window of Air Force One. This was callous and cruel, we were told by hacks who rushed to place as much blame on Bush as possible, while largely absolving the Louisiana Governor and New Orleans Mayor, both Democrats, of course. How would the media have reacted if Bush had gone straight to the beach while people were suffering, issuing a "no comment" when asked about the mounting death toll? They'd be screaming bloody murder. Ron DeSantis is inarguably right about this:
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DeSantis on Maui: “If we had a Republican president who in the midst of these fires and their aftermath decided to … GO SIT ON THE BEACH, what would the media say? They would be screaming bloody murder!” pic.twitter.com/ej01eU3oHn
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) August 22, 2023
With the 'news' media, there are just vastly different rules for Republicans and Democrats, and everyone knows it. With a national election cycle underway, the gap grows even wider. We discussed the president's very brief visit to Maui on last night's panel, during which Bret Baier noted the media's relative lack of attention to Biden's response:
Biden squeezes in a quick Maui cameo amid various vacations — from the panel in Milwaukee: pic.twitter.com/YpWPTjZL0j
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 22, 2023
Also -- is this...what it looks like?
He might be praying — but having been guilty of this once or twice in class or at church, that looks like sleep teetering https://t.co/6eWglkuyRa
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 22, 2023
