President Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) are putting aside their rocky relationship to aid the millions of people affected by Hurricane Ian’s devastation after it made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday afternoon.
Images of flattened buildings, flooded homes and drivers caught in head-tall waters in the wake of the storm have dominated media attention the past two days, with the president painting a bleak outlook of the storm's toll after being briefed on Thursday.
In an appearance at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, D.C., the president dismissed a reporter’s question about his personal differences with DeSantis, whose profile has risen amid various conflicts with Biden over the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation related to treatment of people in the LGBTQ community and the handling of migrants.
The pair, who could ultimately face each other in the 2024 presidential election, have spoken repeatedly over the past week as Florida seeks additional federal support to respond to Hurricane Ian, the worst storm to hit the area in decades.
“I've talked to him four, five times already, and it's not a matter of my disagreements with him on other items,” Biden said. “He complimented me. He thanked me for the immediate response we had. He told me how much he appreciated it. He said he was extremely happy with what's going on.
"We're gonna pull together as one team — as one America," he added.
The coordination comes just days after Democrats and administration officials called out DeSantis for flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard in protest of the federal government's handling of border enforcement, with officials accusing the governor of using migrants as political props.
For now, the duo — and their reputations as executives — are tied up together as they respond to a significant natural disaster just weeks before a major election.
Read more on the pair's handling of the storm here.
