Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday criticised Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for trying to involve herself in the response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, saying she has “no role” in the process.
DeSantis recently refused a call from Harris about the hurricane response, while Harris accused him of being “utterly irresponsible” and “selfish.”
In an interview with Fox News, DeSantis said he has been collaborating with President Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for over two weeks, but claimed Harris never reached out to Florida or offered support.
“Although I’ve worked well with the president, she has never called Florida. She has never offered any support,” DeSantis said.
He accused Harris of politicising the disaster for her campaign and reiterated that he had no time for political games amidst the recovery efforts.
Ron DeSantis: Kamala Harris is trying to ‘politicize the storm’
“I don’t have time for those games. I don’t care about her campaign. Obviously, I’m not a supporter of hers, but she has no role in this process. I’m working with the people I need to be working with,” he added.
DeSantis also mentioned that he had worked well with both Trump and Biden during previous storms.
The issue was raised at the White House when a reporter asked President Biden if it was the governor’s responsibility to take the vice president’s calls. Biden responded, “All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Governor DeSantis. He’s been very gracious. He thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows what we’re doing, and I think that’s important.” Biden reportedly was unaware of the dispute between DeSantis and Harris over hurricane recovery efforts before describing DeSantis as “gracious.” He remained focused solely on managing the disaster response, according to reports.
Biden has had several calls with DeSantis since Hurricane Helene began approaching the Southeast two weeks ago, followed by Hurricane Milton‘s landfall on Wednesday. Biden instructed both DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to “call him directly” if more support was needed. DeSantis confirmed that his federal requests for additional support had been met.
During a broadcast warning about Hurricane Milton, which reached Category 3 status with winds up to 120 mph, Biden condemned misinformation surrounding Hurricane Helene. He specifically mentioned former President Donald Trump as spreading misinformation.