Amid reports that he was ignoring calls from the White House, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he “didn’t know” Vice President Kamala Harris had tried to call him before Hurricane Milton’s landfall.
During a Monday afternoon press briefing about the Category 5 storm, the Republican was asked, “How were you not aware of that?” regarding reported refused calls from Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and President Joe Biden.
DeSantis responded, “Biden called me a couple of days ago with [Hurricane] Helene when I was on the helicopter. I didn’t have any issues. They had helped us with what we’ve done. I’m not aware that he has tried to call since then. Certainly, hasn’t called my phone, so I don’t know quite where they’re getting that information.”
He continued, “At the same time, we got the approvals that we need. If there’s something else that we need, I’ll hop on the phone very quickly…whether that’s the FEMA administrator or the president, and we will press the case to be able to get approvals for what we need in Florida. But we have gotten approvals for everything we’ve asked for.”
The Florida governor quickly interjected during a follow-up question about reports that aides said DeSantis’ office refused calls from Harris about Hurricane Milton because they “seemed political.”
“I didn’t know that she had called. So, I’m not sure who they called. They didn’t call me, and their characterization of it is something they did, and it wasn’t anything my office said as far as saying it was political,” DeSantis said.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and DeSantis via email for comment on Monday afternoon.
Vice President Kamala Harris (L) in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 5. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at the Republican National Convention. DeSantis was questioned about reports that he has ignoring calls from Harris.
AFP/Getty Images
According to NBC News, a DeSantis aide said the Republican governor didn’t take Harris’ calls regarding Milton because they “seemed political.”
“Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” the DeSantis aide told NBC News. The network reported that the same aide said, “Not to my knowledge,” when asked if the Florida governor had spoken to Biden.
ABC News also reported Monday that DeSantis has refused to take a call with Harris due to alleged political motivates.
According to reports, DeSantis has been in contact with Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Director Deanne Criswell.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday afternoon that it’s up to DeSantis to respond to Harris or Biden regarding hurricane relief or recovery. Jean-Pierre said that the Biden administration continues to work with state and local officials in Florida ahead of Milton’s landfall.
“If you have the president and you have the vice president reaching out to offer up assistance provided to your constituents, the people who live in your state, to make sure we are doing everything that we need to do from federal response—and we’re reaching out, offering our support, that’s where…it is up to [DeSantis] if he wants to respond to us or not,” Jean-Pierre said.
Milton is barreling toward the Sunshine State and looks set to be “a historic, once-in-a-lifetime storm for Floridians,” according to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 27, causing widespread devastation in several rural counties in northern Florida. The Category 4 storm inundated Gulf Coast cities with storm surge. Many of these cities, including the densely populated Tampa area, are still grappling with flood damage and debris removal.
Helene then tore through the Southeast. It hit parts of western North Carolina particularly hard, washing away roads, destroying homes, and leaving millions without power.
Some 230 people have died across six states as a result of the storm, according to the Associated Press, with the number expected to rise as relief efforts continue—making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Milton’s expected arrival comes as the response to Helene has become a political flashpoint ahead of November’s presidential election. Former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies question the Biden administration’s handling of the response and spread false claims that FEMA cannot respond well enough because the agency has diverted funding for disaster relief efforts to help migrants.
Later in Tuesday’s press conference, DeSantis chastised a reporter for attempting to ask a politically geared question.
“This is not a time for politics. We have had to respond to a Category 4 hurricane. We’ve had to prepare and respond to something that may hit as a Category 4 and may even be bigger than that. That should be the focus,” Desantis said.
“I think some of these questions are trying to create some type of political angle when there is none there. What we’ve asked for has been approved. You don’t see me out there complaining or carping for anything. We’ve gotten what we need from the feds. We’ve marshaled an incredible amount of resources in the state of Florida to get the job done.”
