DeSantis Corrects The Record After Claim By Harris

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis firmly denied reports that he declined a phone call from Vice President Kamala Harris prior to the landfall of Hurricane Milton. Florida’s Gulf Coast is preparing for Hurricane Milton, which strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Monday, just over a week after Hurricane Helene impacted the region. The likelihood of a direct hit on the Tampa Bay area is significant, prompting evacuations in several Florida communities.

On Monday, ABC News, citing a “source close to the governor,” reported that DeSantis declined to take a phone call from Vice President Harris. The Disney-owned news outlet, which is operated by a lifelong friend of Harris, indicated that staff members perceive the vice president’s outreach during the hurricane as politically motivated. Harris was asked about the report as she was boarding her plane on Monday.

“You know, moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader, says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first. People are in desperate need of support right now. And playing political games at this moment in these crisis situations, these are the height of emergency situations, is just utterly irresponsible and it is selfish,” she said. “And it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first.”

DeSantis also addressed Harris’ comments in an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Monday. Co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked: “Kamala Harris called you selfish. She said she has tried to contact you to talk to you about hurricane relief. And I know that you’ve said – I think you said she didn’t try – we want to get your response bus, first, listen to what she said.

“But she said you know a moment of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone calls himself a leader says they’re going to put politics aside and put the people first. People are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games at this moment in these crisis situations. These are the height of emergency situations is just utterly irresponsible, and it’s selfish and it’s about political gamesmanship. What’s your response?” Earhardt asked.

“She should look in the mirror. We have been on an emergency footing for two weeks straight around the clock, 24/7. We have been working. My office, our division of emergency management, is helping people prepare for Hurricane Helene and helping effectuate rescues of people after Hurricane Helene,” DeSantis said.

“Helping people pick up the pieces of their lives after Helene and then have to also turn around and prepare for major impacts and maybe even more impacts from Hurricane Milton, be able to have rescue personnel ready to help people and then, of course, help with the power restoration, all these things to do. So that’s been my sole focus,” DeSantis continued.

“My focus has not been on dealing with Kamala Harris. I saw the news report, I didn’t know she tried to contact me. But I would also say it’s not about you, Kamala it’s about the people of Florida. My focus is where it should be. I can tell you this I have worked on hurricanes under President Trump and President Biden. Neither of them ever tried to politicize it,” he said.

“She has never called on any of the storms we have had since she has been vice president until apparently now. Why all of a sudden is she trying to parachute in and inject herself when she has never shown any interest in the past? We know it’s because of politics. We know it’s because of her campaign,” he noted further.

DeSantis concluded, “I have zero time to entertain these political games. We’re going to continue to do what we need to do to prepare and respond what may be one of the most damaging storms in the history of the United States. So she says focusing on protecting your people is selfish, I think she ought to look in the mirror.”