FINALLY! White House announces President and First Lady Jill will visit Hawaii on Monday as Karine Jean-Pierre defends his inaction on Maui wildfire The President and First Lady will travel to Maui on Monday, August 21 Biden has been criticized for his response to the deadly wildfire He will meet with first responders and officials during his trip By Emily Goodin, Senior U.S. Political Reporter Published: 14:08, 16 August 2023 | Updated: 14:42, 16 August 2023 e-mail 83 View comments The White House announced Joe and Jill Biden will visit Hawaii on Monday to meet with first responders and officials as the administration pushed back on criticism of the president's handling of the deadly wildfire. 'The President and First Lady will travel to Maui on Monday, August 21 to meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state, and local officials, in the wake of deadly wildfires on the island,' the White House announced. Biden said on Tuesday he wants to visit the state when he won't disrupt rescue efforts. He was criticized earlier in the week for his refusal to comment on the fires that have devastated the island killed more than 100 people. And, during his speech in Milwaukee, the president appeared to forget the name Maui , referring to the island as 'the one where you see on television all the time.' President Joe Biden will visit Hawaii on Monday along with first lady Jill Biden But Biden did tell the crowd he and the first lady want to visit the destruction. 'My wife Jill and I are going to travel as soon as we can,' Biden told the crowd. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday pushed back at criticism of Biden's handling of the wildfires in Maui, insisting 'we are taking this incredibly seriously.' 'You're going to continue to hear from the president. He's eager to head out to Maui, to see for himself,' she told CNN's This Morning. 'We are taking this incredibly seriously. The president has mentioned, you heard him publicly say that the first lady and himself are going to be going to Hawaii, when we know they are not being disruptive,' she noted. Tuesday's comments were Biden's first major remarks on one of the deadliest wildfires in US history. He countered criticism that his administration hasn't done enough to help Maui, he saying: 'The Army helicopters helped fire suppression efforts on the Big Island because there's still some burning on the Big Island — not the one that, not the one where you see on television all the time.' The president was accused of being insenstive over the weekend. He was in Rehoboth Beach with the first lady and on the way to the beach with friends when asked about the rising death toll in Hawaii. 'No comment,' he replied. But Jean-Pierre argued Biden has dealt with a lot of natural disasters during his presidency and has shown up for the people in crisis. 'Sadly, this president has had to deal with many disasters in the past two years. He has shown up and he has been there,' she told CNN. 'So we are going to be here for the people of Maui until they need us throughout this time.' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back at criticism of Biden's handling of the wildfires in Maui, insisting 'we are taking this incredibly seriously' A cadaver dog is seen leading search and rescue personnel through a parking lots that was destroyed in the Lahaina fire, that killed more than 100 people Recovery teams are seen in a huddle as efforts to find the 1,300 people still missing after the Lahaina fire last week swept through the town. The death toll stands at more than 100 President Joe and Jill Biden are scheduled to leave Friday for a vacation in Lake Tahoe - above the couple at Joint Base Andrews last week President Biden jets off to ritzy Lake Tahoe on Friday for another summer vacation. He will stay there until the following Thursday, according to guidance from the White House. He will likely break from that trip to visit Hawaii, where the death toll in is at 106. And 1,300 people are still missing. The blaze that swept through Lahaina nearly a week ago destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000, leaving a mountain of debris in the sea-side town. That fire has been 85% contained, according to the county. Another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been 60% contained, officials said told the Associated Press. There has been an estimated $5.6 billion in damages. Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show how rescue efforts are still ongoing even as hope fades that any will be found alive in the demolished town. The harrowing images also show how little has been left standing in the historic Maui town that was, until a week ago, home to over 12,000 people. Thousands of people are staying in shelters, in hotel rooms and Airbnb units, or with friends. Around 2,000 homes and businesses still don't have electricity and the fire contaminated much of the water supply. Share or comment on this article: FINALLY! White House announces President and First Lady Jill will visit Hawaii on Monday as Karine Jean-Pierre defends his inaction on Maui wildfire e-mail Add comment Comments 93 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have not been moderated. View all The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules . Submit Comment Clear Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. No Yes Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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