President Biden’s scheduled trip to Florida now postponed due to Tropical Storm Ian

The White House and Democratic National Committee announced Saturday night that President Joe Biden’s visit to Florida on Tuesday has been postponed due to Tropical Storm Ian.

Biden was scheduled to speak in Fort Lauderdale and then appear later in the day at a political rally organized by the Democratic National Committee. It’s the second time that the president has had to postpone a DNC event in Florida in the past couple of months. A previous DNC rally originally scheduled to be held in Tampa in July was postponed after Biden tested positive for COVID-19.

Biden last appeared in Florida in July 2021 after the stunning collapse of a condominium in Surfside resulted in the deaths of 98 residents.

Tropical Storm Ian is now forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it continues its path through the Gulf of Mexico and towards Florida.

Concerns about Tropical Storm Ian led Biden to declare an emergency in Florida on Saturday night. The president’s actions authorize the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. Earlier on Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency across all of Florida.

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist was scheduled to appear with Biden on Tuesday, but U.S. Senate candidate Val Demings was not.

A Suffolk University/USA Today poll released earlier this week showed Biden’s favorable numbers in Florida only at 40%, with 54% opposing him.