Biden Breaks From Harris on DeSantis, Praises Him For Doing ‘Great Job’
President Joe Biden appeared to "throw his vice president, Kamala Harris, under the bus" during a press conference on Thursday as Hurricane Milton approached Florida, marking the second major storm in just a few weeks.
Earlier in the week, Harris criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for allegedly ignoring her phone call, calling him “selfish” and accusing him of “playing political games.” DeSantis, however, denied the claim and Biden praised the Republican governor, saying he was doing a “great job” in preparing for the storm.
“It is selfish, and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do,” Harris remarked.
In response, DeSantis said he was unaware of Harris’s attempts to reach him and stated that she has never played a role in the federal response to Florida’s storm preparations or recovery efforts in the past.
“She has no role in this process. I’m in contact with the President of the United States. I’m in contact with the FEMA director. I’m managing all of our state agencies, supporting local government,” DeSantis said during a news conference.
“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. I’ve got people whose lives and homes are on the line, and we are focused 100% on that mission,” he added.
Earlier in the week, Biden was asked whether DeSantis had been “cooperative” as Florida and federal agencies worked together to prepare for the storm.
“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. We thank you for it,’” Biden responded.
“Every governor, from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully cooperative and supportive, and acknowledged what this team is doing. And they’re doing an incredible job. We’ve got a lot more to do,” Biden added.
In an interview on Fox & Friends, DeSantis was asked about Harris’s accusation that he was “not putting politics aside” and “playing political games” during this critical time.
“She should look in the mirror. We have been on an emergency footing for two weeks straight, working around the clock, 24/7. My office and our division of emergency management are helping people prepare for Hurricane Helene, and we’ve been conducting rescues after the storm,” DeSantis said.
“We’re helping people pick up the pieces after Helene and now preparing for major impacts from Hurricane Milton. We’ve got rescue teams ready and are focused on power restoration. That’s been my sole focus,” DeSantis continued.
“My focus has not been on dealing with Kamala Harris. I saw the news report, but I didn’t know she tried to contact me. I would also say, it’s not about you, Kamala—it’s about the people of Florida. My focus is where it should be. I can tell you this: I’ve worked on hurricanes under President Trump and President Biden, and neither of them ever tried to politicize it,” DeSantis concluded.