Administration

Biden speaks with DeSantis about Hurricane Ian

President Biden spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Tuesday evening, shortly after the governor said during a press conference that Biden had not yet called to discuss Hurricane Ian.

“President Biden spoke this evening with Governor DeSantis of Florida to discuss the steps the Federal government is taking to help Florida prepare for Hurricane Ian,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote on Twitter. “The President and the Governor committed to continued close coordination.”

DeSantis during a press conference earlier on Tuesday evening said Biden had not called him, but the Florida Republican lauded Biden’s approval of Florida’s emergency declaration in a rare show of praise.

“I’m happy to brief the president if he’s interested in hearing what we’re doing in Florida,” DeSantis said.

“My view on all this is like, you’ve got people’s lives at stake, you’ve got their property at stake and we don’t have time for pettiness,” he continued. “We gotta work together to make sure we’re doing the best job for them, so my phone line is open.”

The White House previously stressed that the political differences between Biden and DeSantis would not affect the administration’s response to the hurricane.

DeSantis also indicated he has a good relationship with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has sent personnel to Florida to assist in the state’s response.

Reporters pressed FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell at a White House press briefing earlier on Tuesday about the lack of a call between Biden and DeSantis, but she said it had not impeded planning for the storm.

“The President is very focused on making sure that the federal family has the right resources available to support this,” Criswell said. “That is why I contacted the governor right away, and we have a team of my senior leadership that are embedded with the governor to make sure that we’re supporting that.”

Biden also held calls with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater to discuss the potential impacts of the hurricane across the state.

Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast between Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday morning.

Administration