(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) Following the lead of his former vice president, now-President Joe Biden, Barack Obama decided to ignore the fires ravaging his alleged home state of Hawaii in order to dine out and watch fireworks near his Martha’s Vineyard home.
While Maui burned, the “empathizer-in-chief” vacationed, only visiting the island to catch a nap while listening to fire survivors speak.
Meanwhile, Obama attended a firework show and spent time at his 7,000-square-foot Martha’s Vineyard mansion as Maui’s fires reached their height, FUN 107 reported.
On Aug. 19, Barack and Michelle Obama arrived at the Lookout Tavern to watch the island’s annual summer firework show. Brandy Lussier, a woman who has a condo on the island, caught footage of the Obamas on video.
In the video footage, numerous people can be heard squealing with delight at the sight of the celebrity-politician and his wife.
“Oh my God, I’m going to cry!” one person said during the video.
According to Lussier, the Obamas’ presence at the event was fairly normal, and the famous couple attends most years.
“They (the Obamas) watch the fireworks most years at the house next door to the Lookout Tavern,” she explained. “It’s a perfect view and the fireworks were some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
As he attended firework shows and attended to his normal business, the former president, one of the world’s most powerful men, declined to help his former home state.
Fortunately for the former president, however, his lavish estate on Hawaii was not damaged by the fire.
In response to the crisis, Obama tried to comfort distressed Hawaiians with an empathetic X post.
“As someone who grew up in Hawaii, as someone who has taken my family to enjoy the incredible beauty of that island and the hospitality of the people of Lahaina, we now find ourselves mourning the lives that are lost, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families that have lost so much,” Obama wrote.
According to Obama, “thoughts and prayers are not enough.” Rather, “we have to step up, and we have to help those families, and we have to help Lahaina rebuild.”
