There is no doubt that the combined one-two punches of tropical storms a and Hurricane Milton did a number on the central part of Florida in recent weeks. While the death toll was thankfully on the low side, the property damage was immense. It was therefore fitting that President Joe Biden travel there to assess the damage and address the victims, letting them know what resources were being brought to bear on their behalf, which he did during a visit to St. Pete Beach over the weekend. In fact, the trip went about as well as you could expect any Biden excursion away from his vacation properties to go. Or at least it did until he decided to inject some of his own "personal experiences" into the mix. That's when things began to go off the rails again as usual. (USA Today)
President Joe Biden on Sunday visited Florida for the second time in a little more than a week to tour storm-ravaged communities as the state grappled with hundreds of thousands of power outages, gas shortages and persistent flooding in the wake of deadly Hurricane Milton.
After an aerial tour over stretches of battered coastline and the shredded roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Biden delivered remarks in St. Pete Beach, one of the many communities along the west-central coast of Florida reeling after the one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Biden said while the state avoided the worst-case scenario, Milton wrought widespread destruction, submerging entire neighborhoods under several feet of floodwater, destroying homes, and killing at least 17 people.
So far, so good, right? Except good ole Scranton Joe couldn't stop there and leave well enough alone. He felt the need to "share" his own personal experiences about all of the beloved items and memories he and his family gave up when he "nearly lost his home" to a fire in Delaware back in the day. Townhall was compelled to set the record straight once again because he does this so often.
Biden tells hurricane victims he knows "from experience how devastating it is to lose your home" because he had to be "out of the home for seven months" due to a fire.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 13, 2024
He's lying (again) — it was a "small fire ... contained to the kitchen" and was "under control in 20 minutes." pic.twitter.com/HxReY4i555
I'm unsure which is worse about this story. The fact that it's such a blatant lie or the possibility that Joe has simply told the story so often that he may actually believe that it happened by this point. As noted, it was a minor fire at best and the damage was minimal. The fire was under control in 20 minutes and there were no injuries or measurable property damage. It was limited to the area in the kitchen. Nobody was out of their home for more than an hour to say nothing of seven months.
Is retelling this tall tale actually supposed to make people feel better when their property has been utterly destroyed and many have no idea when or even if they will be able to return? A fire is a terrible thing to suffer to be sure, but flooding of that magnitude can be even worse. Water damage is frequently irreparable and people's belongings can simply wash away, never to be seen again. I suppose if any of the people listening to that speech were totally unfamiliar with the Bidens' history, they might believe it and take some comfort in it, but is false comfort truly better than no comfort at all?
All Joe Biden had to do to handle this situation would be to go down there and provide a list of resources that are on the way and provide a roadmap toward recovery for the victims. To his credit, he managed to do that much. So why embellish it with a well-worn whopper like this one? If he did it knowingly, that seems a rather cold-hearted display from someone during what should have been a moment for compassion and support. If he truly believes what he said, that raises even further questions about the President's cognitive abilities during yet another intense moment when the country needed a strong, sympathetic, fully qualified leader. Neither is an admirable option.
