President Joe Biden surveyed wildfires in New Mexico from Air Force One on Saturday before landing in Albuquerque for a briefing on the ongoing threat in Santa Fe.
‘In my home country, there’s a saying. ‘God created man, and then he created firefighters,’ said Biden. ‘They’re all insane,’ he added, to laughter.
Reporters on board Air Force One saw billowing smoke rising from several fires, as well as charred landscape chunks.
‘Air Force One is so damn big, we couldn’t go in,’ the president said, so the presidential plane flew the perimeter.
This week, a group of New Mexicans filed a lawsuit against the US Forest Service, alleging that the federal government failed to disclose information about controlled burns that resulted in the Hermits Peak fire.
In New Mexico, more than 600,000 acres have burned, destroying 1,200 homes.
Biden stated that while “99.8% of controlled burns go as planned,” this one may not have.
‘Today, I am announcing that the federal government will cover the entire cost,’ said the president.
The Hermits Peak fire, which is currently New Mexico’s largest, is now 66% contained, according to the White House, ahead of Biden’s meetings.
More than 4,000 wildfire fighters have been deployed across the state to combat the blazes.
In early May, the president signed a disaster declaration.
When Biden arrived, he hugged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and took the hand of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who was wearing a mask after recovering from COVID.
It was a scorching 99 degrees when the president stepped off Air Force One in Albuquerque.
Biden visited New Mexico after spending three days in Los Angeles for the Summit of the Americas, a gathering of leaders from North, Central, and South America hosted by the United States.
Biden also sat down with late-night presenter Jimmy Kimmel and attended two high-dollar fundraisers in Brentwood and Beverly Hills.
Biden addressed questions from media after landing at LAX aboard Marine One on Saturday morning, including about the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C.
‘Keep marching – it’s crucial,’ he advised. ‘This has to become an election issue; the way senators and congressmen listen is when people say this has an impact on my vote.’
He also expressed his’mild optimism’ regarding the Senate’s current gun reform deliberations.
The president also told reporters that he hadn’t decided whether or not to visit Saudi Arabia.
He’ll go home to Wilmington, Delaware for the rest of the weekend after leaving New Mexico on Saturday.