As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis prepares his state for impact from Hurricane Ian, which is now a Category 3, he likely won’t be hearing from President Biden, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
While the president has extended federal resources to help the state of Florida, Jean-Pierre acknowledged there are no calls that have taken place or are scheduled.
“Is there anything that could stand in the way of the response if a president and a governor might not speak?” a reporter asked, pointing to how Biden did not speak to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves during the state’s water crisis.
“That’s a perfect example,” Jean-Pierre replied. “When you mentioned the governor of Mississippi, they — you were right, they didn’t speak, and we still were able to deliver for the folks in Jackson and for the folks of Mississippi. You had our EPA Administrator on the ground. You had FEMA Administrator on the ground. And not just them, but also folks who work for those — for those two agencies. And you had the Army Corps of Engineers.
“And so we put the full — the full power of the administration,” she continued. “We surged resources on the ground to make sure that we did everything that we can to help the people of Mississippi. This is the same; there’s no difference here. We’re going to do the same in Florida as we’ve done in other — in other states.”
Don't expect President Biden to call Governor Ron DeSantis about Hurricane Ian. pic.twitter.com/59Dme5Y8HD
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 26, 2022
"It’s about the people of Florida; it’s not about public officials, especially in this time," Jean-Pierre added. "As president for folks in red states and blue states, he’s going to keep that commitment."
As the reporter recalled, it’s been over a year since Biden and DeSantis were together in the aftermath of the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida. During that meeting, when 18 were dead and 145 people were still missing, Biden began by stating “what’s good about this.”