President Biden was not briefed about the back-and-forth between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris over hurricane recovery before praising DeSantis as “gracious” in a news conference. The spat started when DeSantis refused to take Harris’ call regarding Hurricane Helene and accused her of politicizing the storm. Biden warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of Hurricane Milton, a category three hurricane that was ravaging Florida’s coastline.
During his remarks, Biden emphasized the danger posed by Hurricane Milton, criticizing those spreading misinformation about hurricanes. While Biden’s comments about DeSantis differed from Harris’ criticism of him, he was not aiming to jab at the vice president, who he endorsed as his successor. DeSantis responded to Harris’ accusations on Fox News, claiming she was trying to politicize the storm for her campaign.
Biden’s focus was on the public response to the hurricanes and the potential destruction they could cause in Florida. He had not been briefed on the dynamics between Harris and DeSantis and was not aware of their feud. Overall, Biden’s message was centered on the importance of putting politics aside during times of crisis and prioritizing the well-being of the people affected by the hurricanes.
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