Biden and DeSantis will test their agreement during a visit to Florida: When President Joe Biden traveled to Florida on Wednesday to assess the damage from Hurricane Ian, he tested their newly developed understanding.
The two men put aside their differences this past week to work together on critical disaster recovery operations. The two men are political rivals who often criticize each other on various political issues. They have spoken on the phone several times since the storm and have publicly denied any allegations that they were not cooperating.
The meeting between DeSantis and Biden in Fort Myers, which will be their first since the president and governor hosted a joint event in 2021 after the Surfside condo collapse in South Florida that claimed 98 lives, will serve as the most visible display of their ceasefire.
According to White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre, “they’re going to talk about what other needs are in Florida to go to a recovery site to get to a recovery site.” As you mentioned, it will be above politics.
A month from now, on Election Day, and two years from now, when DeSantis is expected to be the Republican front-runner, it will be a rare case of bipartisan calm. However, if either party is perceived as overly sympathetic or friendly to other political leaders, such meetings, even in the face of disaster, lead to political danger.
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DeSantis and the president were at odds before the hurricane on everything from immigration policy to mandatory vaccination and mask laws. Democrats and Biden launched a strong attack on the governor’s decision to send nearly 50 Venezuelan refugees from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last month, calling such shipments “reckless” and “un-American.”
Still, DeSantis, who has requested and received increased federal aid to deal with the storm’s devastation, has repeatedly praised the government’s response. He did so again on Tuesday, the day before Biden’s visit. At least 72 people died as a result of the hurricane, one of the worst in Florida’s history.
DeSantis’ positive working relationship with the federal government is not surprising, Aaccording to Christian Ziegler, vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Saving lives, protecting families, repairing homes and opening up our economy, according to Ziegler, are more important than petty politics.
“Gov. DeSantis is leading our response, and his willingness to work directly with President Biden — who controls a significant amount of federal resources that Florida taxpayers have paid for — is just another DeSantis willingness to do what it takes to achieve Florida’s best interests , ” the statement continued.
Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate who will run against DeSantis in November, has gradually stepped up his criticism of the governor for his handling of the storm. In particular, Crist questions whether DeSantis should have forced local Lee County officials to order evacuations earlier than they did.
But Crist says DeSantis is doing the right thing by putting his issues with Biden aside for now. In an interview, Christ stated that “This is the only person who can help Florida as much as you need.” Crist is well aware of the dangers and implications of meeting a rival president.
When Crist, a Republican and Florida governor, appeared with then-President Barack Obama to promote the government’s massive bailout program implemented in response to the Great Recession, Obama embraced Crist. That proved to be the impetus for GOP opposition to Crist, who left the party a year later ahead of the 2010 U.S. Senate election, which he lost to Marco Rubio.
Before being elected to Congress, Crist, a Democrat who later ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2014, said he had no regrets about “the hug” or his desire to be perceived as warm and welcoming to Obama.
According to Christ, “It was about the people of Florida.” “It wasn’t about Democrats and Republicans. The President came to this country to help us recover from the Great Recession. I was grateful because it was $12 billion. There are few things more significant than political ramifications.
Chris Christie, another Republican governor, drew criticism from his party for putting politics aside and cooperating with Obama after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Like Hurricane Ian, the disaster occurred just before the election and reportedly included a hug between the president and the governor.
When he spoke on MSNBC on Monday, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein was questioned about the backlash against Christie, as well as what Biden and DeSantis had already discussed. That’s the antithesis of politics, I think, Klein noted.
Whatever the political implications of a Republican governor cooperating with a Democratic president after Superstorm Sandy, so be it. And we did that here too. Governor DeSantis and the President had several conversations. Both Democratic and Republican local governments have heard him speak.
DeSantis has a definite political advantage because he is currently in a position of power. He has a huge financial advantage and is currently leading in the polls ahead of his re-election. Given the steady shift in the electorate from Democrats to the Republican Party, Republicans are also confident in Florida.
It’s unclear whether the delicate détente between President Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis will last beyond the four hours the president will be on site near Fort Myers, Florida. https://t.co/aezoiPrDK3
— New York Times (@nytimes) October 5, 2022
And while DeSantis has held back his aggressive side since Hurricane Ian, there are indications that it may soon return as the storm’s recovery phase gathers pace. DeSantis said three people recently arrested for robbery entered the country illegally during a hurricane briefing Tuesday mid-afternoon in Fort Myers.
DeSantis noted that the predicament our nation finds itself in as a result of the open border is “too bad.” Jean-Pierre was asked hours earlier at the White House whether Biden and DeSantis would talk about his recent effort to relocate migrants from Texas.
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