The White House said Ron DeSantis and Joe Biden spoke Monday night after reports the president and Vice President Kamala Harris declined calls as officials continue hurricane recovery efforts and prepare for another storm to hit. It will reach land later this week.
“Tonight, @POTUS spoke with @GovRonDeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to report on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helen and preparations for Hurricane Milton, which is expected,” White House senior aide Emily Simmons said in a post on X on Monday. to receive to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
“He asked them both to contact him directly if anything could be done to further support the response and recovery efforts,” Simmons added.
A White House official told CNN that Harris has called DeSantis several times since Hurricane Helen hit his state, but the governor did not return the vice president’s calls. When Biden visited Florida last week to survey the storm’s ground damage, DeSantis declined to join him, instead holding a news conference with reporters four hours south of the area the president visited.
We invited the governor, right, to come and review the affected areas with the president—obviously, we were in Florida, we invited the governor of Florida to come, it was his decision not to attend or not be there. White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday. “The President has called Hurricane Helen. He stretched out his hand. “It’s up to the governor, really up to the governor.”
DeSantis told reporters Monday that he was unaware of the vice president’s calls, and claimed at a news conference in Tallahassee, “I didn’t know he called me.”
The governor said he thanked Biden for approving everything they needed so far, adding that he “wouldn’t hesitate” to call him if they needed more help.
We want to use every resource available to help the people of Florida prepare for and respond to this storm. But everything we’ve asked President Biden for, he’s approved, and we think we’ll get additional approvals for some of the individual assistance and debris removal after the crash.
Harris also responded to reports that DeSantis was not taking calls on Monday, saying, “Crisis moments, if nothing else, really should be the moment when anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put people first.” puts “
People are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games at this moment, in this critical situation – this is the height of the emergency – is completely irresponsible and selfish and is political rather than game playing. “Do what you’re sworn to do, which puts people first,” the vice president told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
DeSantis told Fox News late Monday that Harris had “no role in this process.” I am in contact with the President of the United States. I am in touch with the FEMA administrator. Obviously, I manage all our government agencies. “We support all of our local government.”
“He’s being selfish and trying to make mistakes when we’re doing good,” the governor added.
CNN has contacted the White House, the Harris campaign and DeSantis’ office about the details of the communication between Biden, Harris and DeSantis.
DeSantis did not return calls from Harris, NBC News first reported.
This is not the first time that the governor of Florida has refused to meet with Biden in the wake of a natural disaster. In 2023, he refused to meet with Biden on a trip to the state following Hurricane Idalia, even after the president said he planned to meet with the Republican governor.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell reached out to DeSantis on Sunday to discuss preparing for Hurricane Milton.
“He spoke to him yesterday about Milton,” Jean-Pierre said on Monday. And we will certainly continue to advance our position on the ground, supporting communities with whatever they need, whenever they need it. This is our commitment.”
Harris on Monday urged people in the path of Hurricane Milton to heed warnings from state and local officials after he spoke with Criswell.
“I can’t stress enough to all the people of Florida, in the Tampa area, please heed the evacuation orders,” he said. “Please listen to your local authorities, because I know a lot of people there have already survived this storm – it’s going to be very, very serious, and I’m asking you to please take whatever you need Listen to the instructions you receive from your local authorities.
Jean-Pierre insisted that the federal government remains focused on disaster recovery in the state regardless of whether DeSantis is answering calls from the president or the vice president.
A spokesman said federal officials would provide a “strong, whole-of-government” response.
This title and story has been updated with more details.
CNN Keith Maher contributed to this report.
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