Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
Jimmy Williams
Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday for reportedly ignoring her calls about hurricane relief efforts, accusing the Republican governor of “playing political games” as the state grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and braces for Hurricane Milton.
“Playing political games at this moment in these crisis situations — these are the height of emergency situations — is just utterly irresponsible and selfish,” Harris said before leaving for New York. “It is about political gamesmanship.”
NBC News first reported Monday that DeSantis had not returned Harris’ calls regarding storm recovery. An unnamed aide to the governor allegedly confirmed DeSantis was not taking her calls. Harris didn’t deny the report, adding that in moments of crisis, leaders must prioritize people over politics. “Moments of crisis, if nothing else, should be the moment that anyone who calls himself a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first,” Harris emphasized.
In response, DeSantis told reporters Monday that he had not been made aware of any attempts by Harris to contact him. “I didn’t know that she had called. I’m not sure who they called. They didn’t call me,” DeSantis said. “It wasn’t anything that anybody in my office did, in terms of saying it was political.”
The apparent communication breakdown comes after President Joe Biden toured Florida last week to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of the state. DeSantis notably chose not to accompany Biden during the tour, instead holding a separate press event in another storm-ravaged area. This marks the second time DeSantis has skipped a post-hurricane presidential visit; he also avoided joining Biden after Hurricane Idalia struck last year while DeSantis was running for president.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that Biden had reached out to DeSantis regarding Hurricane Helene and that the invitation to join the president remained open. “We were in Florida, we invited the governor of Florida to come, it was his decision not to attend,” Jean-Pierre said. “The president has reached out around Hurricane Helene. He reached out. It is up to the governor, it is really up to the governor.”
Hurricane Helene made landfall less than two weeks ago, striking Florida’s Big Bend region and narrowly missing the state capital, Tallahassee. The storm caused significant flooding and destruction along Florida’s Gulf Coast, leaving at least 200 people dead and millions without power. The damage stretched into other southern states, including North Carolina, where mountainous communities were cut off from aid and services.
Now, with Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall on Wednesday as a Category 5 storm, the Biden administration is urging residents in Tampa Bay and other vulnerable areas to prepare for evacuation orders. Despite predictions that Milton will weaken before hitting Florida, federal and state officials warn that the storm still poses a major risk to densely populated areas like Tampa.
