On a recent Thursday, President Biden appeared to overreact to the threat of Hurricane Milton, imploring people to ‘evacuate now, now, now’, in an apparent demonstration of panic rather than measured leadership. Opting to sacrifice an important diplomatic trip abroad, he chose to monitor the storm’s approach to Florida’s west coast from the comfort of the Roosevelt Room. One must question the effectiveness of such an overzealous reaction, as he even provided his personal phone number to Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor.
The President’s promise to ‘do everything you can to save lives and our communities’, made during his press briefing, seemed somewhat grandiose considering the problem was a natural disaster. Arguably, a president’s role is to stay poised and provide logical strategies, rather than becoming overly involved in urgent directives. At one point, he stressed that evacuations are ‘a matter of life and death’, unnecessary emphasis drawing into question his faith in the preparedness of Florida’s community and state machinery.
Mr. Biden congratulated Mr. DeSantis for his excellent work and assured that the latter had received all necessary support from the federal government. But wasn’t his praise misplaced, seeing that the hurricane had not passed yet? His premature gratitude, combined with an offer to be on-call, only creates a sense of confusion considering the situation was not yet concluded.
On the operational front, Mr. Biden did confirm that thousands of emergency workers were sent across the Southeast in response to Hurricane Helene. His assertion that he instructed officials to ramp up this presence was puzzling. Would it not have made more sense to delegate that responsibility to people who are more hands-on and experienced with such situations rather than dictating the approach himself?
Due to the storm heading for the Tampa Bay area, Mr. Biden was forced to postpone his diplomatic trip. This was meant to bolster support for Ukraine and encourage investment in Africa. Yet again, this raises doubts about his priorities and ability to multitask. Was this postponement a genuine concern for public safety or merely an attempt to appear concerned?
Biden’s previously postponed visit to Africa has also taken a backseat once again. One must question his commitment to international relations, given his constant revisions. Disappointingly, his plans to visit Angola have been left hanging amidst his overzealous dealing with a meteorological event.
The United States’ commitment to help rally $3 billion of public and private sector investments into Angola’s clean energy and agriculture sectors has doubtlessly suffered a setback due to this recent sequence of actions. Especially considering the important dimension of the rail corridor project, the Lobito Corridor, carrying critical minerals from central Africa to the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola.
For a President who aimed at diversifying supply chains, this hiatus seems rather counterproductive. His skewed focus was on managing what essentially is a state-level issue, whilst larger national and international commitments have apparently been given a backseat.
In sum, it’s worth reviewing Biden’s priority setting in this scenario. Could his zealous involvement in state-level disaster management have been utilised in more pressing international affairs?
While his concern for his citizens is commendable, the handling of the situation creates room for criticism. His panicked, reactive approach to Hurricane Milton raises questions about his overall leadership skills.
The cancellation of an important trade and diplomatic trip presents a concerning picture about the way administration prioritizes matters. It may create a precedent where domestic events outweigh international commitments.
In the end, our scrutiny must be on how national leaders juggle their domestic and international responsibilities. This hurricane situation gives us reason enough to question the administration’s decision-making and prioritisation strategy.
Lastly, it begs the question: would it have not been better for Biden to concentrate on strengthening diplomatic ties and promoting international investments, while fully entrusting local and competent authorities to manage the disaster response? After all, undue interference might not always be the best strategy.