President Joe Biden on Wednesday dodged an opportunity to defend Vice President Kamala Harris when asked about her interactions with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over hurricane recovery efforts.
Ms. Harris had just complained earlier Wednesday that the response to Hurricane Milton had become politicized and criticized Mr. DeSantis for not returning her calls on the issue. Asked if DeSantis should take the vice president’s call, Biden declined to answer, instead speaking about a “kind” conversation he had with the governor. (Related: CNN’s Scott Jennings says Harris’ attack on Ron DeSantis was ‘a major campaign mistake’)
“Mr. President, should Governor DeSantis take Vice President Harris’ call?” RealClearPolitics White House correspondent Phil Wegman asked.
“All I can say is that I spoke with Governor DeSantis and he was very kind to me. He thanked me for everything we’ve done. I know what I’m doing and I think that’s important,” the president responded before leaving the room.
This week was not the first time Biden and Harris disagreed about DeSantis. After Harris accused DeSantis of playing politics during the hurricane response on Monday. Biden hits back His vice president posted on Twitter that he had spoken with Florida’s governor about such an initiative. DeSantis responded to Harris’ comments, calling them “political games” and suggesting such calls could be campaign stunts.
Tonight, I spoke with Florida Governor DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Anchor to hear first-hand reports on Hurricane Helen recovery and Hurricane Milton preparedness.
My Administration stands ready to support both our leaders and Floridians with the additional resources they need. pic.twitter.com/imXXVXQnoD
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 8, 2024
“From the time she became vice president to now, it seems like she’s never had a storm like the one we’ve had. She’s never shown any interest in the past, so why all of a sudden is she parachuting?” Are we going to come down and get the shot? We know it’s because of politics. We know it’s because of her campaign,” DeSantis said on Tuesday’s Fox & Friends. said in an interview.
“There is simply no time for these political games,” he added.
Today I joined Fox & Friends to discuss Hurricane Milton. pic.twitter.com/tB46doJfWt
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 8, 2024
Mr. Biden has said since withdrawing from the presidential race and endorsing Ms. Harris that he was satisfied with his decision, but has yet to deny why he was pressured to withdraw from the race. He added that he still thinks he can beat Trump.
“There was a perception that perhaps your hand was forced and your finger was pointed at Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with whom you have had a long relationship and accomplished so much together. How do you feel about your relationship with Speaker Pelosi now?” Alyssa Farah asked Biden.
“Our relationship is good. Look, I didn’t quite buy the claim that somehow there was an overwhelming resistance to running again. I didn’t feel it. And the polls… “They said Mr. Biden’s polls were different, but the truth is, my polls have always been within the range of being ahead of Mr. Biden,” the president said.
“What I did…I think it was, but it didn’t make sense. There were some guys who wanted to see me step aside, so they had a chance to move on. I get it, that’s human nature. But that wasn’t why I resigned. I started thinking about it, you know. “It’s hard, but I know you’re only 30 years old,” the president continued, leaning over Farah. “But it’s hard to think about it and even say how old you are.”
