GAINESVILLE, Fla. — President Joe Biden arrived in Florida to witness the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia and the ongoing recovery efforts in a city affected by the storm. However, he will not be meeting with Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican candidate for president, who expressed concerns about the meeting hindering disaster response efforts.
“Our teams worked together to find this area, which was agreed upon due to its limited impact,” said Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as the president traveled from Washington. She assured reporters that there were no concerns about the communities they would visit today.
Air Force One landed in Gainesville, where President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden boarded Marine One for a helicopter ride to Live Oak. There, they received a briefing on response and recovery efforts and met with federal and local officials and first responders. The president also took a walk through the city streets and made remarks.
On Friday, after President Biden announced plans to meet with Gov. DeSantis, the governor’s office issued a statement saying that there were no plans for a meeting. According to Jeremy Redfern, spokesperson for DeSantis, the security preparations alone would disrupt ongoing recovery efforts in rural communities so soon after the impact of the hurricane.
Criswell confirmed that power has been restored and roads are open in the area where President Biden visited. She emphasized that access has not been hindered and that her team has been in close coordination with the governor’s staff.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm in Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region, causing extensive flooding and damage before moving north to impact Georgia and the Carolinas.
When asked by reporters what happened with the scheduled meeting, President Biden simply responded, “I don’t know. He’s not going to be there.” He later assured that the federal government would take care of Florida.
This political disconnect between President Biden and Gov. DeSantis is a departure from their previous interactions during natural disasters, such as Hurricane Ian last year and the Surfside condo collapse in Miami Beach in the summer of 2021. However, with DeSantis now running against Biden, the dynamics have changed, and the governor focused on the impending hurricane hitting his state.
Setting aside political rivalries in the aftermath of natural disasters can be challenging.
Former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another presidential candidate for 2024, has faced criticism within his party for embracing then-President Barack Obama during a tour of Hurricane Sandy’s damage in 2012. Christie was even questioned about this incident during the recent Republican presidential debate.
Initially, both President Biden and Gov. DeSantis expressed a willingness to prioritize helping storm victims over partisan differences. However, the governor started expressing concerns about the logistical challenges posed by a presidential visit as the week progressed.
Prior to Hurricane Idalia making landfall, Gov. DeSantis stated, “There’s a time and a place for politics, but when it comes to something life-threatening that could potentially cost somebody their life or livelihood, we need to prioritize the power restoration and relief efforts without any interruptions.”
By Friday, the governor informed reporters that during a phone call with President Biden, he had mentioned the potential disruption caused by the extensive security apparatus accompanying the president. He highlighted the limited access to the hardest hit areas, emphasizing the need to ensure ongoing power restoration and relief efforts.
President Biden joked about his frequent conversations with Gov. DeSantis regarding Hurricane Idalia while delivering pizzas to workers at FEMA’s Washington headquarters. The White House’s Homeland Security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, recalled their previous collegiality during the response to Hurricane Ian and the Surfside collapse, emphasizing their collaborative efforts in assisting Floridians in need.
Both President Biden and Gov. DeSantis face significant political consequences following Hurricane Idalia.
In his quest for re-election, the White House has requested an additional $4 billion from Congress to address natural disasters, highlighting the escalating costs imposed by wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes in the context of climate change.
Gov. DeSantis, on the other hand, has based his White House campaign on dismantling what he refers to as Democrats’ “woke” policies. He frequently receives applause at GOP rallies for his remarks about sending Joe Biden back to his Delaware home, where he spent much of his time during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.
However, with four months remaining before the Iowa caucuses, Gov. DeSantis still lags far behind former President Donald Trump, who currently dominates the Republican primary. DeSantis has experienced repeated changes in campaign leadership and image reboots in an attempt to refocus his message.
Additionally, the super PAC supporting DeSantis’ candidacy has suspended its door-knocking operations in Nevada and several states participating in the Super Tuesday primaries in March, indicating further challenges.
Associated Press writer Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report.
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