President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will have a chance to show U.S. voters they have what it takes to lead in a crisis as the two potential rivals for the White House in 2024 respond to storm-ravaged Florida.
The two men have spent recent days trying to demonstrate that they put politics aside and are cooperating on the response to Hurricane Idalia. That mission has become acutely important as recent events have tested perceptions of their empathy and competence.
Still, they will likely not meet on Saturday when Biden visits areas devastated by the storm. He seemed to suggest they would, but a spokesman for the governor on Friday said there were no such plans, citing the potential for a presidential visit to disrupt recovery efforts in stricken communities.
“We’re going to take care of Florida,” Biden said before boarding Air Force One for Florida when a reporter asked if he had a message for DeSantis.
The White House said the president and first lady Jill Biden looked forward to meeting people affected by the storm and that the visit had been planned with Federal Emergency Management Agency and state and local leaders to avoid disrupting the response.
The storm has offered DeSantis, in the throes of a struggling campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination, a high-profile national spotlight to demonstrate both crisis management and a human touch that critics say has been missing from the campaign trail.
Biden, at the same time, has been battling Republican attacks and a new congressional investigation into his handling of the devastating wildfires in Hawaii. The scope of the destruction and Biden’s beach vacation during the recovery have undermined key political assets: his reputation as an experienced hand in managing the federal government, and as an empathetic consoler-in-chief.
He has sought to demonstrate close coordination in the Idalia response, speaking to DeSantis three times this week to inform him of federal steps to aid in the recovery.
“Seems like we should be on direct dial, the two of us,” Biden said Thursday during a visit to FEMA headquarters.
The two men have managed to sidestep their political differences before and met during a previous natural disaster. Last October, they toured Florida communities after Hurricane Ian. While they were cordial and exchanged praises, they avoided displays of warmth and largely kept their distance, surrounded by their spouses and aides.
Biden’s outreach has followed criticism over his handling of the wildfires on Maui, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century, which left at least 115 dead and hundreds still missing.
The president and first lady visited the Hawaiian island last week, walking through burned out streets in Lahaina, a historic town left in ruins by the fires, and meeting with local people and first responders. Maui residents said initial recovery efforts were disorganized and shared difficulties in obtaining assistance for food and shelter.
Even as much of the public’s focus has turned to Idalia, Biden on Wednesday sought to assure Maui residents that he hadn’t forgotten their plight, announcing $95 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law to strengthen Hawaii’s power grid to prevent future disasters.
The White House is also requesting $16 billion for disaster relief from Congress, increasing its original $12 billion request from just weeks ago, citing Idalia, Maui and other disasters.
Biden reproached DeSantis’ party, criticizing Republican lawmakers who have balked at the request and questioning whether climate skepticism was blocking more emergency funding for natural disasters.
“We’re gonna need a whole hell of a lot more money to deal all you’re taking care of,” Biden told workers at FEMA headquarters Thursday.
One Republican, however, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, said that he’d join Biden in Suwannee County on Saturday. “I’ll be urging him to support the immediate passage of my Federal Disaster Responsibility Act – families in Florida and across the U.S. need this relief ASAP,” Scott wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
DeSantis has also sought to get ahead of the latest storm to counter past criticism.
The governor has been a constant presence on television in recent days after returning to Tallahassee a week ago. He has held daily press conferences and interviews, urging Floridians to evacuate and advising them on proper storm protocols.
He faced a backlash after Hurricane Ian in 2022 for evacuation orders critics said came too late in some counties and contributed to the storm’s death toll of more than 140 people.
On Thursday, DeSantis said there were no known deaths in Florida from Idalia. “To be here and not have any reported fatalities, it’s probably not something most people would have bet on four or five days ago,” he said.
He acknowledged communities were still dealing with debris and continued risks from flooding and storm surges. At the governor’s mansion, a 100-year-old oak tree fell while his family was home.
More than 482,216 customers had power restored as of Friday afternoon, according to the governor’s office.
On the trail, DeSantis donors and advisers have urged the governor to talk less about Florida and its culture-war issues and focus more on national matters such as the economy. Yet glimpses of his conservative brand have emerged.
On Thursday, he cited the Second Amendment, warning anyone thinking of looting homes.
“We are not going to tolerate any looting in the aftermath of a natural disaster,” DeSantis said. “You loot, we shoot, you never know what’s behind that door.”