Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he told President Biden that his planned visit to parts of the Sunshine State affected by Hurricane Idalia could be “very disruptive” to ongoing recovery efforts.
The bitter political rivals have been in frequent contact in the wake of the devastating storm, with Biden telling reporters Thursday he would travel to Florida Saturday morning.
“One thing I mentioned to him on the phone is where this community is [are] — the communities that are the hardest hit — it’s going to be very disruptive to have all the security equipment go because there are so many ways to get into these places,” DeSantis told reporters during a briefing in Tallahassee.
The 2024 Republican presidential candidate said he did not know what Biden’s plans were for the visit, or whether the governor would meet with the president in person anytime soon.
“I don’t have the details,” DeSantis said. “We’ve run through our paces and done everything.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis voiced logistical concerns about President Biden’s planned visit to Florida.REUTERS
As of midday Friday, the White House had not yet announced Biden’s plans. However, the president said “yes” when reporters asked if he would meet with the Florida governor.
DeSantis said Friday morning he expects the president’s team to coordinate with Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie as plans for Biden’s visit develop.
While DeSantis voiced some logistical concerns about the visit, Biden said earlier this week that he did not expect politics to complicate recovery efforts.
President Biden will visit the areas affected by Typhoon Idalia on Saturday. Yuri Gripas – Pool via CNP / MEGA
“I think he trusts my judgment and my desire to help, and I believe he can suggest that this is not about politics, it’s about taking care of the people of this state,” the president said of DeSantis Wednesday.
DeSantis has repeatedly disparaged Biden’s performance as commander-in-chief, with attacks intensifying after the governor entered the presidential race last May.
The White House has also routinely attacked DeSantis in recent months for his conservative policies in Florida.
Typhoon Idalia wreaked havoc in four states.REUTERS
The Republican hopeful halted his presidential campaign this week to return to Florida to deal with the storm.
DeSantis said Friday that 476,000 Florida residents had their power restored and he expected the remaining outages to be resolved this weekend.
Idalia crossed four states after making landfall as a Category 3 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region Wednesday morning, bringing record storm surge and punishing winds that wreaked havoc on affected areas.
Although damage from the storm was extensive, DeSantis said the fast-moving hurricane could have been much worse.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
