Speaking on Thursday, October 10, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sounded off on Vice President Kamala Harris, saying that she has attempted to insert herself in the response to hurricanes Helene and Milton for political reasons, but that she has no actual role in the process and that he is refusing to play her games.
As background. much of the current spat between Gov. DeSantis and VP Harris exists because the vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee claimed that Gov. DeSantis had not taken her call regarding working with the federal government to respond to the hurricanes. That is a claim Gov. DeSantis strenuously denied.
When asked about the matter, VP Harris said that Gov. DeSantis was putting politics ahead of helping his constituents, saying, “You know, moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first. People are in desperate need of support right now.”
She continued, “And playing political games at this moment in these crisis situations, these are the height of emergency situations, is just utterly irresponsible and it is selfish.” She then added, “And it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first.”
President Joe Biden, however, indicated quite the opposite and said that the Florida governor has been thankful and helpful in working with the federal government to respond. He said, “All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Governor DeSantis. He’s been very gracious. He thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows what we’re doing, and I think that’s important.”
In any case, speaking about the matter of hurricane response on Thursday, Gov. DeSantis said that he has been working hand in hand with FEMA to respond. He said, “I am working with the president of the United States. I’m working with the director of FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency]. We’ve been doing this now nonstop for over two weeks.”
Continuing, the Florida governor snapped that though he has worked with Kamala previously, she has not actually offered any support to the Sunshine State, nor has she even called him, as she claimed happened. He said, “Although I’ve worked well with the president, she has never called Florida. She has never offered any support.”
Further, Gov. DeSantis said that the others, Biden and Trump, didn’t politicize the hurricanes, unlike Harris. He said, “I didn’t even know she was trying to reach me, but she has no role in this process… and I’ve been dealing with these storms in Florida under both Trump and Biden. Neither of them ever politicized it.”
He additionally said that he does not have the time for such political games when his fellow Floridians need help. He said, “I don’t have time for those games. I don’t care about her campaign. Obviously, I’m not a supporter of hers, but she’s not, she has no role in this process. And so I’m working with the people I need to be working with.” Watch Gov. DeSantis here:
Previously, Gov. DeSantis also noted that Harris isn’t even in the chain of command for dealing with the issue, saying, “She’s not part of the chain of command… All she is trying to do is inject herself to be a part of her political campaign. I don’t have time for political games. We’ve got a job to do. We’ve got people’s lives on the line.”
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