Biden Tips His Hand on Politicizing Hurricane Against DeSantis

As Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida, residents are expecting all levels of government to work together. Instead, President Biden is disclosing a strategy to politicize the looming natural disaster against a potential 2024 Republican rival, talking to Governor DeSantis only when pushed to do so.On Monday, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said the president had yet to speak with Mr. DeSantis because preparations were “about the people of Florida” and “not about public officials,” as if the federal government would be going it alone on disaster response.When a reporter pointed out that during the Jackson, Mississippi, water crisis the president also snubbed that state’s Republican governor, Tate Reeves, the press secretary agreed, but maintained the administration had still been able to “deliver for the folks” there.That very day, however, the Department of Justice declared water in the state’s capital city still unsafe to drink and announced it was preparing to take legal action against Jackson under the Safe Drinking Water Act.In Tuesday’s joint briefing by Ms. Jean-Pierre and the FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell, the press corps again asked why the president hadn’t contacted Mr. DeSantis with Ian gaining strength. Ms. Criswell maintained that the head of the federal government has no intention of talking to his state counterpart.Reporters noted that despite what Ms. Jean Pierre said the previous day, Mr. Biden had indeed spoken to public officials of three Gulf Coast cities in Ian’s path — the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater — two Democrats and a Republican.When reporters inquired why Mr. Biden hadn’t yet phoned Mr. DeSantis and if a call had been scheduled, Ms. Criswell said the president had directed her to do it. Asked if there was “any reason” why he didn’t talk to the governor himself, she explained that FEMA was “supporting the governor.”In Rose Garden remarks the same day, Mr. Biden addressed the Category 3 storm but omitted any mention of Mr. DeSantis’s role as leader of the third most populous state. Instead, the president highlighted his calls with the mayors, saying he had told them to “contact me directly,” cutting the governor out of the loop.Since Ian forced Mr. Biden to cancel an appearance with the Democrat seeking to unseat Mr. DeSantis in November, Congressman Charlie Crist, the White House may have sought to help instead by keeping the incumbent out of the spotlight. If so, the strategy failed. Mr. Biden’s actions now stand in stark contrast to how his predecessors handled natural disasters — such as how President Obama worked with the Republican governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, during Superstorm Sandy.Mr. Christie was also considered a future GOP presidential candidate. But it’s only after such a crisis has passed that the politicking starts, as with President George W. Bush and Hurricane Katrina. By Tuesday night, the questions grew too loud to ignore. Ms. Jean Pierre announced in a tweet that the conversation had taken place at last and the two had “committed to continued close coordination,” handing Mr. DeSantis a victory.For his part, Mr. DeSantis handled the cold shoulder with aplomb. On Sunday, he praised the administration’s support, help, and “quick action,” thanking the president for approving his state’s emergency declaration and shrugging off the silence.“I’m happy to brief the president,” he said on Tuesday. “[Y]ou’ve got people’s lives at stake, you’ve got their property at stake, and we don’t have time for pettiness. We gotta work together to make sure we’re doing the best job for them, so my phone line is open.”The White House did not announce who initiated Tuesday’s call; if it was Mr. DeSantis, he’ll hold a card to play if he faces Mr. Biden in 2024. Regardless, the governor is delivering for Floridians the unity and bipartisanship the president promised on the campaign trail but hasn’t delivered in office.Americans expect their leaders to join forces in times of crisis. If Mr. Biden hoped to turn Ian into “DeSantis’s Katrina,” he showed his hand far too early and exposed his willingness to play politics while lives hang in the balance.

Biden Tips His Hand on Politicizing Hurricane Against DeSantis

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