US President Joe Biden has praised Florida governor Ron DeSantis for his “cooperative” approach and effective response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, contrasting with vice president Kamala Harris‘ recent criticisms of the governor for allegedly “playing political games”, as reported by Fox News.
Reports from NBC News reveal that DeSantis has been declining calls from Harris’ team, prompting her to express frustration on Monday.”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,” Harris said.
However, Biden’s view diverged from that of his vice president. At a press conference on Tuesday, he said, “The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday, and I said – no – you’re doing a great job, it’s all being done well and we thank you for it.” He added that there had been “a rough start in some places,” but praised the overall cooperation from governors across affected states.
Following Harris’ comments, DeSantis clarified that he was unaware she was trying to contact him. He also refuted her claims, accusing her of engaging in political gamesmanship. “I’ve worked on these hurricanes under both President Trump and President Biden. Neither of them ever tried to politicize it,” he said.
Florida is grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the state is now bracing for Hurricane Milton, with officials urging millions of residents to evacuate. Tampa mayor Jane Castor said, “Helene was a wake-up call – this is literally catastrophic,” referring to the seriousness of the incoming Category-5 storm.