President Joe Biden recently found himself amidst a controversy involving Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris.
As Hurricane Milton approached, Biden praised DeSantis as “gracious,” though he was reportedly unaware that DeSantis had declined Harris’ call regarding hurricane recovery.
NBC News reported that DeSantis had dismissed Harris’ attempt to discuss Hurricane Helene’s aftermath, accusing her of trying to “politicize the storm.”
Harris responded by calling DeSantis “utterly irresponsible” and “selfish,” which fueled media attention.
At a press conference, Biden addressed the hurricane’s potential impact, and when asked if DeSantis should have taken Harris’ call, he sidestepped by saying, ”
“All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Gov. DeSantis. He’s been very gracious,”
–Biden Said–
Harris had already criticized DeSantis earlier, saying, “Moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first.” She further stated.
“People are in desperate need of support right now… it’s just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish.”
Harris had already made her stance clear earlier in the week, accusing DeSantis of prioritizing politics over people during a moment of crisis.
“Moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first,” she stated.
“People are in desperate need of support right now, and playing political games with this moment in these crisis situations, these are the height of emergency situations, it’s just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish.”
As Hurricane Milton continues to threaten Florida’s coastline, Biden’s administration is also addressing another pressing issue: misinformation. Biden took a direct shot at former President Donald Trump, who he accused of spreading conspiracy theories related to Hurricane Helene.
The president’s approach underscores a broader concern about the politicization of natural disasters and the consequences it can have on public trust and response efforts.
The discord between Harris and DeSantis isn’t entirely unprecedented. DeSantis took the opportunity on Fox News to criticize Harris, claiming she was the one injecting politics into the situation for her campaign.
“I’ve had storms under both President Trump and President Biden, and I’ve worked well with both of them,” DeSantis remarked.
“She’s the first one who’s trying to politicize the storm, and she’s doing that just because of her campaign. I don’t have time for political games.”
A source close to Biden emphasized that his comments weren’t meant as a slight toward Harris. Rather, Biden was simply not “tracking a specific back-and-forth” and was instead “focused on the response itself.”
