This is the moment President Joe Biden told Kamala Harris to “fire…no pun intended” during a press conference about the deadly Los Angeles wildfires.
This bad note left many shaking their heads as the death toll reached six and 70,000 people fled their homes in the City of Angels.
As he handed the microphone to Vice President Kamala Harris, the US President said: “Shoot… no pun intended.”
Harris, sitting next to Biden, was seen laughing, sparking more backlash online, with viewers slamming the comment as “tone deaf.”
“Two of the most useless people ever born sitting next to each other. A huge achievement,” wrote one angry user on social media.
The president's jibe comes just in time as wildfires rage across Los Angeles, devastating neighborhoods and forcing celebrities to evacuate their multi-million dollar mansions.
Read more about the Los Angeles fires
Firefighters are battling the blaze using dangerously low water supplies, while terrified locals record their cities burning.
It comes as…
- Five people died as out-of-control wildfires swept through Los Angeles
- At least 130,000 people were evacuated and schools were closed
- Nearly 400,000 homes were left without power, more than 2,000 structures were destroyed and 30,000 acres burned.
- Firefighters are “maxed out” and are said to be running out of water
- The horrific footage shows the city on fire
- Celebrity homes were burned down, including celebrities like Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, and Anthony Hopkins.
- Joe Biden criticized for announcing his granddaughter's baby news during a fire press in Los Angeles
For the thousands who lost everything, Biden's mistake only made matters worse.
But this is not Biden's first blunder during the Los Angeles fire crisis.
Earlier this week, he awkwardly turned to personal news after a grim update on the Palisades wildfires.
“The good news is that I am a much older grandfather starting today,” Biden announced at a fire station in Santa Monica, adding, “I will remember this day for many reasons.”
The president's celebration of his grandson, William Brannon Neal IV, came immediately after the devastation was addressed.
To make matters worse, Biden stumbled over the details, first describing the baby as a “10-pound girl” before correcting himself.
Biden also joked about his son Hunter's house burning down, calling it “one piece of good news” that it might still be standing.
Meanwhile, a British father has shared the devastation his family faces after their home in Pacific Palisades was destroyed in a “horrific” bushfire.
Andrew Stalbaugh, who has lived in the area since 2008, said the fire made his neighborhood look like “an atomic bomb hit it.”
Mr Stalbo revealed the emotional impact of losing not only his “wonderful home” but also his prized possessions, including photographs of his late grandfather.
“I don't know anything,” he told Sky News.
“It didn't just hit one house, it hit everyone. The whole village, the schools, the restaurants, everything we had turned to dust, and it looked like it was hit by an atomic bomb.”