In a surprise turn of events, President Joe Biden will be making a trip to Florida to assess the damage from Hurricane Idalia, but will not be meeting the state’s Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis. This news comes despite Biden’s previous statement that indicated a rendezvous between the two.
What Happened: According to Reuters, Biden’s trip to the Sunshine State is scheduled for Saturday. The President had earlier mentioned he would be seeing DeSantis, who is currently running for the Republican presidential nomination.
However, DeSantis’s spokesman, Jeremy Redfern, contradicted Biden’s claim. “We don't have any plans for the Governor to meet with the President tomorrow,” Redfern stated, suggesting the potential impact such a meeting might have on ongoing recovery efforts.
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Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, plan to meet with members of the community affected by the storm. “Their visit to Florida has been planned in close coordination with FEMA as well as state and local leaders to ensure there is no impact on response operations,” White House spokesperson Emilie Simons stated.
The non-meeting suggests that politics may be influencing the response to the storm. This situation is reminiscent of the criticism received by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie when he praised then-President Barack Obama during his visit to the state following Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Biden has requested additional billions in emergency funds following a series of severe weather events. Following his Florida visit, he is expected to fly to his home state of Delaware for the weekend.
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