Joe Biden will travel to Florida to meet with Ron DeSantis as the state continues to rebuild from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, which resulted in at least 100 deaths, but no one expects the meeting to be cordial.
Two of Biden’s most famous Republican detractors, Republican Governor DeSantis and Senator Rick Scott, will join him in Florida on Wednesday.
Biden will receive a briefing from DeSantis and state and local authorities on the storm response after the president does a helicopter survey of the hurricane’s wreckage in Fort Myers on Wednesday.
While Biden intends to focus on the victims of Hurricane Ian and not on politics, all eyes are on Florida due to a probable showdown between the Democratic president and Republican governor.
During her briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, “There will be plenty of time, plenty of opportunity, to discuss differences between the president and the governor, but now is not the time.”
She told reporters, “We are one when it comes to providing and ensuring that the people of Florida get everything they need, especially after Hurricane Ian.” We are operating as one.’
As of Tuesday, 109 fatalities were attributed to the hurricane. As of Wednesday morning, over a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, around 318,000 households and businesses remain without power.
President Joe Biden will have a face-to-face meeting with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday when he goes to Florida to see the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, which killed at least 100 people.
The meeting will likely be non-political, and it will be the first time the rivals have met in person following multiple phone contacts relating to last week’s category 4 cyclone that devastated the state. Pictured: On Tuesday, October 4, Governor DeSantis and his wife Casey deliver an update on ongoing efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
At this juncture, neither Biden nor DeSantis have a vested interest in politicizing the encounter. There have been multiple phone conversations between Biden and DeSantis, but this will be their first encounter in person.
Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will join Biden on the trip.
DeSantis has emerged as a viable alternative candidate for the presidency of the Republican Party in 2024, as an increasing number of moderate Republican voters reject the extreme MACA principles. President Biden has often stated that he intends to run for re-election, despite not having made an official announcement.
Almost a week after the hurricane made landfall in Florida, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses remain without power. A member of the search and rescue team searches among the destruction on Fort Myers Beach for victims.
Fort Myers Beach, Florida restaurants, shops, and other businesses were destroyed by the hurricane.
During Biden’s visit to Florida, he will commit additional aid to assist the state in its recovery from the category four hurricane.
More than 4 million households and businesses in Florida and more than 1.1 million in North and South Carolina lost power as a result of the hurricane.
In recent years, there has been a breakdown in partisanship between the White House and governors of the opposing party on federal aid for states.
Barack Obama extended handshake-hugs to Republican Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Charlie Crist of Florida, whose states had also been devastated by natural disasters. The embrace harmed Christie’s career in Republican politics and ended Crist’s, who will now run against DeSantis in 2022 as a Democrat.
In recent years, bipartisanship between the White House and governors of opposite parties has deteriorated. Barack Obama hugged New Jersey Governor Chris Christie during a career-harming visit to the state to examine storm damage (left). And a hug with then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist (right), which destroyed his career in the Republican Party; he is now running as a Democrat against DeSantis.
DeSantis, whose political approach concentrates on opposing far-left programs, need not worry about Biden’s visit diminishing his GOP influence and popularity.
While he would support federal funding for Florida, physical embraces are improbable.
During their phone conversations, the president and the governor expressed unusual bipartisanship in a very polarized period of U.S. politics, especially with less than five weeks until the midterm elections.
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