U.S. President Joe Biden has often faced criticism from his opponents while performing his presidential duties. Time and again, they have used false claims to smear his reputation and undermine his capability. Recently, the experienced political leader has once again found himself at the center of an online uproar after a video clip went viral while spreading misinformation about his visit to a surfing capital.

Maui in Hawaii is a well-known surfing destination in the United States. However, the beautiful island has suffered a great tragedy as a wildfire broke out on August 8, and the community is still reeling from its aftereffects. The U.S. President visited the island and expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. He even attended a memorial service, but the Conservative media pundits seized this opportunity to twist the narrative and spread false information about his visit.

Distorted narrative amid tragedy in the surfing community

Many Conservative media pundits, which include Fox News host Sean Hannity, used a low-resolution video from the memorial service to claim that the president fell asleep during the service. The video went viral on all social media sites within minutes of uploading. A Twitter user uploaded the video clip and wrote, “Joe Biden just fell asleep in the middle of his meeting with victims of the Maui fires”. However, the higher-quality video shared by C-Span showed Biden looking down at something for about 10 seconds before raising his head back up. In the full video clip, he was listening to the service with undivided attention and nodding his head.

Still, the damage was done, and popular opinion had already been formed based on the initial misleading video clip. The situation became even more volatile after famous surfing legend Kelly Slater blasted the government for not doing enough for the island. In a passionate statement on his Instagram account, the iconic athlete wrote, “California Governor declared a state of emergency over a mild rain storm. @potus just asked for $40B more for Ukraine in the past week. All the while Maui fire residents are being offered a one-time $700 payment from the federal government. Seems we’ve got a few things backwards to me”.

A local from the island, Kai Lenny also said that the government’s response to the wildfire has been poor from the start. He said, “I haven’t seen one state, one county, one federal official at any one of the donation hubs where people are most suffering”.

A local from the island, Kai Lenny also said that the government’s response to the wildfire has been poor from the start. He said, “I haven’t seen one state, one county, one federal official at any one of the donation hubs where people are most suffering”. But as per the Government’s report, they have deployed 1000+ rescue personnel and sent 50,000 food packages, 75,000 liters of water, and more essentials. Still, the U.S. Government is in hot waters with the netizens who have shown their displeasure on social media.

Misleading video of Joe Biden sparks fury from viewers

The catastrophe has claimed over 100 lives on the island, and more than 1000 individuals are missing. In the midst of this crisis, a video clip was used to distort the people’s views about the president. One viewer responded to the video calling attention to Joe Biden’s age and alluding to his lack of energy, stating,

One viewer was especially irate because the president’s alleged insult was disproportionate to the respect he received on the island, stating,

One commentator picked up Slater’s views on the U.S. prioritizing Ukraine over Hawaii, saying,

Lastly, one viewer left a scathing remark stating,

Read More: “Be Strong, Be Strong, Be Strong”: Surfing Legend Lends a Helping Hand to the Community as Flames of Destruction Engulf Hawaii

President Joe Biden and surfing ace Kelly Slater may be on different sides of the spectrum on this matter, but both are resolved to help the community in whatever way possible. Both hope to bring hope and relief to those who have lost so much in this tragedy.

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