Miami Mayor Francis Suarez admitted on Friday night that his campaign has not qualified for the first Republican presidential debate, despite claiming hours earlier that he had met “all” the requirements to get on the stage.

“I am excited to announce that I have met all of the criteria to qualify for the @GOP ’s first primary debate,” Suarez said early on Friday.

However, The New York Times noted that Suarez has not yet qualified for the debate because he does not meet the polling requirements. The RealClearPolitics average, which is not included in the RNC’s requirements, shows Suarez is only at .3% nationally.

Several hours after his post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Suarez admitted during a CNN interview that he had not qualified for the debate.

Suarez said that the RNC has not yet certified the number of donors that he says he has and he still has not met the polling requirements. He cited a poll from Kaplan Strategies that shows him at 2% nationally, although he noted that the RNC has not yet certified the poll.

CNN host Kaitlan Collins noted that Suarez still needs multiple additional polls showing him over the 1% threshold to get on the debate stage.

“So, but you haven’t actually gotten that number yet, to where the RNC says, ‘Yes, you’ve made it?'” Collins asked.

“Yes, they have not yet given me sort of that final certification,” he said.

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He said that he hopes that additional polls will come out over the weekend that will qualify him for the debate.

The Associated Press later reported that senior officials at the RNC said that Suarez has not qualified for the debate.

Suarez later said that he agreed with prior remarks that he made that any candidate who did not make the debate stage should drop out — including himself.

Maui residents slammed President Joe Biden during media interviews this week over his apparent lack of concern for the island following the devastating fires last week that have so far claimed at least 111 lives.

One resident of Lahaina, a historic town that turned to ash from one fire, spoke to Australian independent media outlet Rebel News and wondered why the Biden administration is so eager to send billions of dollars to Ukraine, but has been mostly silent on the tragedy in Maui.

“Why aren’t you taking care of what you claim to be in charge of rather than sending out all these funds and whatever else you guys are sending to Ukraine or anywhere?” the woman asked of Biden. “Take care of here first. I don’t see why any president wouldn’t step up and take care of what’s part of their territory. I think it’s a stupid move on his part. Biden? Yeah, he’s an idiot.” 

MAUI FIRE

Lahaina local questions why President Joe Biden is sending funds to Ukraine while her town has been destroyed and is in crisis. @JoeBiden

Support the people of Lahaina: https://t.co/DF9mpNeHT0

For all of our work: https://t.co/v1EvqUvcTm pic.twitter.com/w5xNPsoHtj

— Lincoln Jay (@lincolnmjay) August 19, 2023

Another Maui resident, Ella Sable Tacderan, asked CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “Where’s the president?”

“Aren’t we Americans, too?” Tacderan asked. “We’re part of the United States. Why are we getting put in the back pocket? Why are we being ignored?”

Maui survivor breaks down on CNN:

"Where’s the president?” pic.twitter.com/5UVyN1O0zC

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) August 19, 2023

After Biden first said he had “no comment” on the wildfires while lounging on the beach, the White House announced earlier this week that the president and first lady will visit the island on Monday. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell also said the president has ordered a “whole of government” approach to addressing the fires.

The death toll from the wildfires that raged last week has now hit 111 and includes children, but only around 40% of the burn area has been searched and over 1,000 people are likely still missing, according to the governor. Video footage shows that some of the many fires that burned on the island likely started from downed power lines.

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Hawaiian Electric is under scrutiny for allegedly slow-walking modernization and repairs of its electrical grid as it devoted resources to building out the utility’s green energy network. The state attorney general said it will use a third party to investigate how state and local government agencies responded to the devastating fires.