During a White House press conference given in the run-up to Hurricane Milton making landfall in central Florida, President Joe Biden groaned with exasperation when he was asked by a reporter about former President Donald Trump’s claims about the state of the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, with the reporter suggesting that Biden call Trump and “tell him to stop.”
The questions and groan came after a press conference from President Biden on the new hurricane. Biden had said, commenting on the matter, “And I sent FEMA Administrator Criswell down to Florida yesterday to work and — intensively with the state and local partners as we prepare to deploy more resources. She’s going to continue that work between Florida and North Carolina in the coming days.”
Continuing, he said that he wants airlines to help and for the local authorities to let him know if they need anything, saying, “I’m calling on the airlines and other companies to provide as much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not to engage in price gouging, to just do it on the level. And last night, I spoke again with the governor of Florida, DeSantis, and Tampa Mayor Castro and — or, excuse me, Castor — and I made it clear to them they should reach out, including to me directly, with everything else they may need as they see this storm hits. I gave them my personal number to contact me here in the White House.”
He also spoke about the importance of evacuating, saying, “Most importantly, I’ve urged everyone — everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions. You all have been reporting on the highways and shoulders being opened. Everybody is heading out. And if you’re under evacuation or- — orders, you should evacuate now — now — now. You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole. It’s a matter of life and death.”
In any case, reporters pressed the president on what he thinks of comments from Trump and other Republicans about the government’s hurricane response, a response that some on the right have contended is lackluster. One reporter asked him, “Do you have a comment, sir?” President Biden said, “Un-American.”
“Why do you think Trump is spreading misinformation?” another asked. Biden said, “I don’t know. I simply don’t know. You can speculate. But I just find it… I know I used the phrase more than I ever used in my whole career: un-American. It’s un-American. It’s not who the hell we are. What are they talking about?”
Then came the groan incident, which was quite funny. One of the reporters there called out, as a follow up on the previous issue, “Sir, have you considered calling him and asking him to stop doing that?” Biden, turned to look at the reporter and groaned at the very idea. He then added, “Oh, come on.” Watch him here:
President Biden also said during the press conference that more resources are being poured into those states harmed by Helene, saying, “And while we prepare for Hurricane Milton, we’re still surging resources in North Carolina, in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, to respond to Hurricane Helene. And it’s — it’s real. The impact is still there. And we’re going to leave — we’re not going to leave until the job is done. It’s going to take time. And before it’s all over, it’s going to take tens of billions of dollars to get it done.”
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