‘Fire Away’: Biden's Insensitive Pun at Wildfire Briefing Sparks Backlash

New Delhi, India: US President Joe Biden faced strong criticism for his repeated use of the phrase “fire away” during a White House briefing on the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County, which have claimed at least 16 lives and forced over 180,000 residents to evacuate.  

The controversy began when Biden, 82, addressed Vice President Kamala Harris, a California native, during the briefing. After acknowledging her direct connection to the disaster, he turned to her and said, “Madam Vice President, I know you’re directly affected, so you fire away.” 

Biden patted Harris’s hand, but her surprised expression led him to quickly add, “No pun intended.” 

However, the president repeated the phrase moments later while speaking to US Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, saying, “Chief, why don’t you fire away?”  

The comments were widely criticized for being tone-deaf and insensitive, given the gravity of the wildfire crisis. 

Netizens React to Biden’s ‘Fire Away’

Social media users quickly voiced their discontent. One user on X posted, "Is there something funny about this? Absolutely disgusting." 

Another remarked, “Jeez, it’s one thing for us to make jokes and memes about it, but our leaders should take these situations seriously.”  

Biden’s poor choice of words followed another controversial statement the previous day during a visit to a fire station in Santa Monica, where he announced, “The good news is I’m a great-grandfather as of today.” 

Critics called this remark tactless, given the severe impact of the fires on Californians.  

During the briefing, Biden also defended California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats, while blaming utility companies for water outages that impeded firefighting efforts. He expressed frustration over the criticism of fire hydrants lacking sufficient water, saying, “Give me a break. Give me a break,” and criticized companies for shutting off power, inadvertently cutting off water supplies needed to fight the fires.  

Biden also took aim at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, dismissing critics who were "uninformed" about the situation. 

This appeared to be a veiled jab at President-elect Donald Trump , who had earlier called for Newsom’s resignation, accusing him of prioritizing the protection of an endangered fish species over providing water for firefighting efforts.