Biden splits with Harris over ‘selfish’ DeSantis hurricane preparedness: He’s doing ‘a great job’

A day after Vice President Kamala Harris called Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) "selfish" regarding Hurricane Helene recovery, President Joe Biden said the governor has been cooperative with the White House and that DeSantis is doing “a great job.”

DeSantis has been active in Florida’s recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene while also working to ensure the Sunshine State is well prepared for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall as early as Wednesday evening. Biden revealed to the press that he spoke with the governor over the phone on Monday, during which he gave DeSantis his personal number.

“The governor of Florida has been cooperative,” Biden said Tuesday. “He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday. And I said, ‘I know you’re doing a great job. It’s all being done well. We thank you for it.’ And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call.”

Biden also suggested there was “a rough start in some places” in responding to Hurricane Helene but that “every governor” has been cooperative with the White House. He added that while the federal government is doing “an incredible job” with Helene recovery, there is “a lot more to do.”

Harris has accused DeSantis of being "selfish" by ignoring her calls, arguing he is politicizing hurricane relief. DeSantis, however, said he was unaware of Harris attempting to contact him and suggested she ought to “look in the mirror” over her accusation of selfishness, as she has never tried to contact him with hurricanes prior to Helene.

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The governor has also previewed how Florida is preparing for the impact of Hurricane Milton, which includes recruiting “close to 40,000 utility linemen.” Florida is also working with Uber to ensure those who need to travel to shelters can have a means of transportation even if they do not have a car.

As of this morning, Hurricane Milton is still a major Category 4 hurricane. While some weakening is possible before landfall, we expect Milton to be a strong and extremely dangerous storm when it reaches the west Florida tomorrow night or early Thursday morning.

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On X, DeSantis has stressed that any Florida residents in Milton’s projected path should “get to a safe location” as soon as possible.