CNN –
President Joe Biden was in Florida to see firsthand the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, again underscoring his frosty relationship with Gov. Ron DeSantis, the combative Republican front-runner poised to potentially challenge the Democrat for to the presidency in 2024.
For now, Biden and DeSantis have put aside their nascent political rivalry and their administrations have worked in concert since the hurricane’s deadly collision with Florida’s west coast. This was exposed on Wednesday.
Shortly after touring hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast communities by helicopter, Biden was met at Fisherman’s Wharf by DeSantis and his wife, Casey, where they spoke for several minutes among the wreckage.
In a joint appearance moments later, Biden and DeSantis emphasized to reporters that their two administrations, while often at odds, are working closely together on rescue and recovery efforts.
“I’m grateful that everyone came together,” DeSantis said, before adding, “Mr. President, welcome to Florida. We appreciate working together at different levels of government.”
Biden said the cooperation has been “extraordinary” and emphasized the ability of Americans across the country to help in times of need and urged Floridians to one day return the favor.
“We’re going to help you get through this because of the hearts of all of you, but when you’re done with it, when you hear it’s happening somewhere else, remember the United States of America,” Biden said. “We’re all in this together.”
Biden later told reporters that DeSantis has “done a good job” leading Florida through this disaster, calling the Republican’s response “pretty remarkable.”
“We have very different political philosophies, but we’ve worked hand in hand,” Biden said. “In dealing with this crisis, we have been in complete lockstep.”
Last week marked the second time Biden and DeSantis hosted a brief truce after a tragedy. A week after a condo tower collapsed in Surfside, Fla., last year, killing 98 people, Biden and DeSantis sat together in a public display of bipartisan grief. They traded pleasantries in front of the cameras, with Biden affectionately patting DeSantis on the arm.
“We live in a nation where we can cooperate,” Biden said during their joint appearance. “And it’s very important.”
But the public animosity between DeSantis and Biden has only intensified in the 16 months since that day, with the White House and the nation’s third-largest state seemingly perpetually at odds. Biden has compared DeSantis to a schoolyard bully whose legislative agenda has targeted vulnerable LGBTQ children. DeSantis has blamed Biden for rising inflation and earlier this year accused the Democrat of withholding aid for tornado victims because the president “hates Florida.”
Tensions came to a head just weeks before Ian’s arrival, when DeSantis seized two flights carrying migrants from the border to Martha’s Vineyard. Biden criticized the stunt as “un-American.” DeSantis threatened that future shipments could go to Biden’s home state of Delaware.
Asked if Biden would raise the issue of transporting groups of migrants to Democratic cities, Jean-Pierre said there will be “a lot of time to discuss the differences between the president and the governor, but now is not the time.”
The widening chasm of their fractured relationship has coincided with DeSantis’ rapid rise within his party to become the most popular Republican not named Donald Trump. His penchant for grabbing headlines and angering liberals has made DeSantis a favorite among Republican voters, some of whom want to see him challenge Biden in 2024.
As he seeks re-election next month, DeSantis has made Biden a staple of his campaign against his Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist. The Florida Republican Party has aired ads on behalf of DeSantis highlighting the close ties between Christ and the president, suggesting that Christ would do in Florida what Biden has done in America and repeating twice a sound bite of Christ saying, “Thank you to God for Joe Biden.”
But these tensions have taken a back seat, at least for now, to the immense cleanup left by the hurricane’s considerable wake. Biden has said he has spoken with the Florida leader several times and has promised to “be there every step of the way.” DeSantis has praised the federal government’s response to the state’s many requests for help.
The Biden and DeSantis administrations have also joined forces to fend off questions about the timing of evacuation orders in Lee County, where a catastrophic storm surge decimated homes and put the lives of those in danger they took refuge in their place. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell defended Lee County officials, noting the unpredictable nature of this particular storm.
“As soon as the storm predictions were that it would hit Lee County, I know that local officials immediately put the appropriate measures in place to make sure that they notified citizens to get them out of harm’s way,” Criswell said.
At a news conference Monday, DeSantis tried to shut down a reporter who was trying to ask the governor if Lee officials gave residents enough time to leave before Ian arrived. Lee ordered the evacuation about 24 hours before the storm made landfall, later than neighboring northern counties, despite forecasts showing the potential for a dangerous storm surge along the region’s coast.
DeSantis said the focus should be on “getting people up and stop talking incessantly and trying to slander people who were doing the best job they could with imperfect information.”
Air Force One landed early Wednesday afternoon in Fort Myers with first lady Dr. Jill Biden, who accompanied the president on Monday to survey damage in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Fiona.
Biden visited a community still reeling from a storm that many thought was moving further north before a late swing toward Lee and Charlotte counties. At least 100 people died in Florida after Ian slammed into the Gulf Coast as a massive Category 4 storm. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors as residents search for debris and seek temporary housing. More than 400,000 customers in Florida are still without power, and it could be a month before power is restored to the hardest-hit communities.
As part of a major disaster declaration for Florida, Biden on Sept. 29 approved assistance to 13 counties that guaranteed the federal government would reimburse 100 percent of the cost of debris removal and other search expenses and rescue for 30 days related to Hurricane Ian. At a press conference before Biden’s arrival, DeSantis said many affected communities could not begin removing debris until roads were cleared and officials now faced a time crunch.
“The clock has ticked,” DeSantis said. “Obviously, they haven’t been able to do much debris removal when they don’t have constant access.”
Before leaving for Florida, Biden amended the disaster declaration to extend the repayment period another 30 days, complying with a request DeSantis had planned to make later in the day.
One community facing these difficulties is Pine Island, where all bridges failed as a result of Hurricane Ian. DeSantis announced in Matlacha the opening of a temporary slow-speed bridge later Wednesday that would allow vehicular traffic on Pine Island.
During his news conference, DeSantis praised the federal response to the storm.
“Local coordination, state, FEMA — there’s been less red tape holding us back in this (hurricane) than probably anybody I’ve ever seen,” DeSantis said.
The visit showed how two men with very different temperaments approach a tragedy of immeasurable devastation.
Biden has often leaned into the role of comforter-in-chief, guiding the nation through the post-vaccination period of the Covid-19 pandemic and communities across the country through more localized tragedies. In less than two years as president, he has walked through the remains of tornado-ravaged western Kentucky, embraced the families of victims of mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, and comforted those displaced by wildfires in the West.
Speaking in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, Biden assured the island’s residents that “all of America is with you.”
DeSantis, who defines himself as a hands-on leader, has commanded the state’s response with a laser-like focus on the logistics of getting the state back up and running. His news conferences are rarely peppered with personal stories of suffering and loss, a staple of Biden’s speeches. Instead, DeSantis is often forward-thinking and matter-of-fact. He breaks down the recovery statistics and details the obstacles ahead and the state’s plans to overcome the collective difficulties.
Asked by CNN on Sunday for a message to people who couldn’t reach loved ones living in the storm’s path, DeSantis’ response was typically pragmatic: He focused on the state’s work with CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, to connect the Internet to those affected. communities
“You will be able to log in,” DeSantis said. “So it’s going to be a convenience for a lot of people.”
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