President Joe Biden was reportedly unaware of the ongoing exchange between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris over hurricane recovery efforts before he referred to DeSantis as "gracious" during a press conference on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
It was previously reported by NBC News that DeSantis had refused to take a call from Harris regarding the impact of Hurricane Helene on Florida. DeSantis had accused Harris of attempting to "politicise the storm," while Harris had criticised him for being "utterly irresponsible" and "selfish." This dispute dominated headlines for several days.
On Wednesday, Biden addressed the nation in a televised broadcast, warning of the potential devastation from Hurricane Milton , which had already begun to hit Florida’s coastline. During the press conference, a reporter asked whether DeSantis should have taken Harris’ calls. Rather than addressing the question directly, Biden praised DeSantis for his cooperation, saying he had found him to be "gracious" in their interactions and appreciated the acknowledgment of the federal response.
Biden had emphasised the severity of Hurricane Milton, which had reached Category 3 status with winds of up to 120 mph. He stated that despite its classification, Milton was expected to be one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century.
He also took the opportunity to condemn the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding Hurricane Helene, specifically naming former President Donald Trump as one of those involved in promoting falsehoods.
Biden’s remarks stood in contrast to the way Harris had characterised DeSantis. Earlier in the week, Harris had expressed disappointment at the way politics seemed to be overshadowing the urgency of the crisis. She remarked that moments of crisis should be a time for leaders to set politics aside and put the needs of the people first, describing political games at such times as irresponsible and selfish.
Biden’s omission of a response to Harris’ earlier comments was not intended as a slight against her, especially considering that he had endorsed her as the Democratic nominee following his decision to step down from the presidential race in July. A source familiar with the situation explained that Biden had not been briefed on the specifics of the back-and-forth between Harris and DeSantis, instead focusing solely on managing the disaster response. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation freely.
Meanwhile, DeSantis appeared on Fox News and criticised Harris for inserting politics into the recovery effort. He stated that he had worked well with both President Trump and President Biden during previous storms and accused Harris of being the first to politicise a disaster, claiming she was doing so for her campaign. DeSantis added that he had no time for political games amid the recovery effort.
It was previously reported by NBC News that DeSantis had refused to take a call from Harris regarding the impact of Hurricane Helene on Florida. DeSantis had accused Harris of attempting to "politicise the storm," while Harris had criticised him for being "utterly irresponsible" and "selfish." This dispute dominated headlines for several days.
On Wednesday, Biden addressed the nation in a televised broadcast, warning of the potential devastation from Hurricane Milton , which had already begun to hit Florida’s coastline. During the press conference, a reporter asked whether DeSantis should have taken Harris’ calls. Rather than addressing the question directly, Biden praised DeSantis for his cooperation, saying he had found him to be "gracious" in their interactions and appreciated the acknowledgment of the federal response.
Biden had emphasised the severity of Hurricane Milton, which had reached Category 3 status with winds of up to 120 mph. He stated that despite its classification, Milton was expected to be one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century.
He also took the opportunity to condemn the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding Hurricane Helene, specifically naming former President Donald Trump as one of those involved in promoting falsehoods.
Biden’s remarks stood in contrast to the way Harris had characterised DeSantis. Earlier in the week, Harris had expressed disappointment at the way politics seemed to be overshadowing the urgency of the crisis. She remarked that moments of crisis should be a time for leaders to set politics aside and put the needs of the people first, describing political games at such times as irresponsible and selfish.
Biden’s omission of a response to Harris’ earlier comments was not intended as a slight against her, especially considering that he had endorsed her as the Democratic nominee following his decision to step down from the presidential race in July. A source familiar with the situation explained that Biden had not been briefed on the specifics of the back-and-forth between Harris and DeSantis, instead focusing solely on managing the disaster response. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation freely.
Meanwhile, DeSantis appeared on Fox News and criticised Harris for inserting politics into the recovery effort. He stated that he had worked well with both President Trump and President Biden during previous storms and accused Harris of being the first to politicise a disaster, claiming she was doing so for her campaign. DeSantis added that he had no time for political games amid the recovery effort.
