President Joe Biden has “won praise” for his “low-key approach” to the natural disaster that knocked out power to much of Texas in the midst of a bitter winter storm, according to the Washington Post.
The Post hounded President Donald Trump for years about Hurricane Maria — even after he visited the island personally, and despite the fact that his concerns about local mismanagement in the distribution of aid were proven right. Yet in an article published on Saturday, with the headline “Biden’s low-key approach to storm wins praise but courts risks,” the Post took a dramatically different approach:
As the Biden administration faces its first natural disaster, the president himself is taking a notably low-key approach. He has not visited the stricken region or delivered prime-time remarks; he did not mention the disaster at a recent town hall; and he is studiously avoiding the controversy over whether wind energy or fossil fuels are to blame for widespread power failures.
It’s a marked contrast to former president Donald Trump’s habit of making himself the often-hostile center of attention during natural disasters. He famously tossed paper towels to hurricane victims, excoriated Californians for “gross mismanagement” of forests and called Puerto Rican leaders “corrupt and incompetent” for their handling of aid money.
Biden ignored the Texas disaster for days. He did not speak to the governors of states affected by the winter storm until after a journalist raised the question during a White House press briefing. He did not even tweet about Texas until several days into the crisis:
Some encouragement for Americans in Texas from former President Obama – still no public comment from Biden on the crisishttps://t.co/VZN76DIBct
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) February 17, 2021
Jill and I are keeping Texas, Oklahoma, and other impacted states in our prayers. I’ve declared states of emergency, authorized FEMA to provide generators and supplies, and am ready to fulfill additional requests. Please heed the instructions of local officials and stay safe.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2021
The Post warned: “While Biden has won praise for his quieter, more businesslike approach, he is also running the risk that he — and the federal government — can appear almost absent.”
It noted that 48 people, including 30 in Texas, had died in the winter storm.
Story cited here.