Newt Gingrich sounds alarm on Biden's 'frightening' Maui response: 'Who's making the decisions?'

Newt Gingrich slammed President Biden's "frightening" Maui disaster response following the devastating wildfires, warning his perceived lack of empathy highlights a "national problem" with his leadership. On "Hannity" Tuesday, the Fox News contributor questioned who is really making the decisions in Washington after the controversial Hawaii visit.

CNN CORRESPONDENT HAILS BIDEN AS 'EMPATHIZER-IN-CHIEF' FOR MAUI VISIT: 'SAID THE RIGHT THINGS'

NEWT GINGRICH: I think this visit to Maui, frankly, is just plain frightening. How can you have a commander-in-chief who is totally out of touch with reality? Who makes up a story which is a lie? Who has no understanding of the scale of the disaster which has occurred, who has literally has no empathy for the human beings around him. And I think and of course, as you point out, can't even stay awake. Now, I think that people need to look at this not as a political problem, but as a national problem. We have a commander-in-chief... makes you wonder who's making the decisions in the White House. I personally have a hunch it's Barack Obama. And you have to wonder, how is the system running in a real crisis? How could Joe Biden decide anything? It would all be delegated. And frankly, as an American, I'm ashamed.

President Joe Biden speaks after touring areas devastated by the Maui wildfires, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. In the background is the massive Banyan Tree burned in the fire. (Evan Vucci)

President Biden’s retelling of a 15-year-old story about a minor fire at his Delaware home is facing renewed backlash after he told victims of the deadly Hawaii wildfires Monday he shared "a little sense" of what they were going through.

While visiting the fire-ravaged remains of Maui, Biden recalled the fire that started at his Wilmington home due to lightning.

"I don’t want to compare difficulties, but we have a little sense, Jill and I, of what it was like to lose a home," Biden said. "Years ago, now 15 years, I was in Washington doing ‘Meet the Press’. … Lightning struck at home on a little lake outside the home. Not a lake. A big pond. It hit the wire and came up underneath our home, into the … air condition ducts.

"To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my '67 Corvette and my cat."

Biden has recalled the story multiple times in recent years in an apparent attempt to connect with victims of natural disasters. 

A 2004 report from The Associated Press, archived by LexisNexis, said lightning struck the Bidens’ home and started a "small fire that was contained to the kitchen." 

The report said firefighters got the blaze under control in 20 minutes, and they were able to keep the flames from spreading beyond the kitchen.

Fox News' Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report. 

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