Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is facing accusations of faking a debris backdrop for a press event regarding Hurricane Milton recovery efforts.
A clip posted online on Sunday shows pieces of debris being added to a pile behind the podium where DeSantis was set to make his address in Treasure Island. It is unclear whether the governor set up in front of an existing pile or why the debris was being moved.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the governor had been caught “adding debris behind [the] podium” before his news conference.
“Ron has no shame—he’s spent weeks accusing everyone else of politicizing this disaster while ordering workers to window dress his press conference,” Fried said.
Florida was one of several states badly affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in recent weeks. In the aftermath of the storms, Republicans, including presidential candidate Donald Trump, have been accused of politicizing the relief efforts.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at the Republican Party of Marathon County’s Lincoln Day Dinner in Rothschild, Wisconsin, on May 6, 2023. DeSantis is facing accusations that he altered a debris backdrop for a hurricane response press event.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
On X, former NBC executive Mike Sington wrote: “Ron DeSantis has a fake storm debris backdrop created for his press briefing. This is the same Ron DeSantis who accused Kamala Harris of politicizing the hurricane.”
However, others defended the governor, saying debris piles were common sights in the state after the storms.
Christina Pushaw, a political aide who previously worked on DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign, said in response to Fried’s post: “So are you claiming that there is NO real debris for him to stand in front of? Because everyone who’s been to any of the areas affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton knows that’s a lie. Reality: Debris like this is everywhere, and you are gaslighting Floridians about it for politics.”
Pushaw added, “The workers in this video are moving the debris onto a pile to make it easier for the equipment to haul and dispose of it.”
Newsweek has contacted DeSantis’ office for comment via email outside standard working hours.
In September, Trump’s team reportedly assembled a brick wall for him to speak behind when he visited Valdosta, Georgia, after Hurricane Helene.
Reports said the bricks came from a nearby furniture store that the storm destroyed, which prompted some backlash on social media.
DeSantis previously criticized Vice President Kamala Harris over the politicization of Hurricane Helene following reports from ABC News and NBC News that he refused to take her calls to discuss a response to the storm. DeSantis denied that he had been screening Harris’ calls.
The governor hit out at the Democratic presidential candidate for suggesting he had been embarking on “political gamesmanship,” telling Fox News: “She’s trying to get some type of an edge. She knows she’s doing poorly and so she’s playing these political games. I don’t have time for political games.”
Elsewhere, President Joe Biden called Trump a liar after the Republican falsely claimed that the federal government was unable to fund a response to Hurricane Helene because the money was being spent on migrants.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
