Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, recently criticized Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing her of shamelessly politicizing the response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Amid the chaos of disaster recovery, he argued that Harris’s phone calls held a noticeable political tone, causing him to question her intentions.
As reported by NBC News on a Monday afternoon, Governor DeSantis was not readily accepting calls from the Vice President. According to him, the calls were filled with a disconcerting amount of political maneuvering. This report was quickly jumped on by Harris, who retorted to journalists that it was actually DeSantis who was engrossed in the political gamesmanship.
The Vice-President was insistent, characterizing the reported refusal as being devoid of responsibility and compassionate understanding. She argued that in dire times like these, the focus should be squarely on the task at hand. ‘It is pure irresponsibility, selfishness, and political gaming,’ Harris stated, ‘all while refusing to uphold the duties sworn into office, that is, prioritizing the wellbeing of the people.’.
Governor DeSantis cleverly responded to her claims during another press briefing on Monday evening. He professed ignorance of the calls, announcing that he never got word of any attempted contact. Moreover, he dismissed any notion of him labeling the situation as ‘political’, stating no one from his office echoed such sentiments.
The governor seemed confused, stating he was unaware of Harris’s attempts to reach him. Confusion turned to skepticism as DeSantis critiqued the misrepresentation, blaming Harris’s office for presuming it was politically charged. ‘It seems whoever they dialed didn’t get through to me,’ he chuckled, ‘Their distorted interpretation belongs to them, not anyone from my office.’
Following this press conference, DeSantis held an interview the same night in which he defended his focus on the state of Florida. He stated that any notion of selfishness on his part was simply farfetched. He also sternly reminded Harris that she did not have any role to play in this matter.
In an unfeigned manner, he commented, ‘Her role in this is nonexistent. In hindsight of her three-year tenure as Vice President, I’ve faced numerous storms under this administration and she has yet to make any meaningful contributions.’ He openly cited her lack of involvement as the true act of selfishness.
No stranger to having to address weather crises, DeSantis reflected on his time working both under President Trump and President Biden, he found himself readily able to collaborate with both administrations. He emphasized that Harris was the first to attempt to manipulate a storm for political capital, stressing that she was merely trying to claw back some advantage due to the underwhelming state of her campaign.
He underscored his commitment to the people of Florida, reiterating that the welfare of Florida’s citizens was his primary concern. With lives and livelihoods at stake, he underscored, he couldn’t afford to engage in political gamesmanship. Instead, he needed to focus his attention on helping those affected by the catastrophic weather.
The following Tuesday morning saw another interview, where he was asked about the ongoing verbal tug-of-war with Harris. Governor DeSantis simply stressed that the matter was not about her, it was about the people of Florida. He repeated his assertion that she was trying to underscore a disaster for political gain.
The governor couldn’t help but express his incredulity that this was Harris’s first call during any of the storms since taking office. ‘She has not been involved in any of our storm responses up until now, and suddenly, she tries to take center stage, why?’ He pondered, then bluntly called it out as a bare-faced political strategy linked to her campaign.
Unmoved by her attempts, DeSantis iterated that he would not have any of it, citing that he had bigger fish to fry, ‘I simply cannot find the bandwidth to entertain such games while there are lives hanging in the balance,’ he expressed sternly. Despite the turbulent exchange with Harris, he acknowledged that President Biden’s response regarding the hurricanes was commendable.
In his concluding comments, DeSantis underlined that Harris lacked any real jurisdiction or influence over the situations at hand. ‘She stands nowhere in the hierarchical chain of events,’ he stressed, driving his point home. He dismissed the notion that he should find the time to focus on her when there was so much work to do.
To conclude, one thing was certain; DeSantis would not let these hurricanes be a political play thing. He mocked the idea that he should be worried about Harris when there were more important matters at stake. ‘The very concept of me agonizing over her, while Florida needs my attention, is frankly laughable,’ he retorted.
?WOW: Gov. DeSantis NUKES Kamala after she FREAKED today & attacked him for ignoring her phone calls:
“She’s delusional. She has no role here. She’s been VP for 3 years and never contributed anything to these storm efforts. She politicizing the storm to save a failing campaign” pic.twitter.com/GZQ5gGSThI
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 8, 2024