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White House says 'there was no indication' DeSantis

would snub Biden visit after Idalia
The White House said Biden's visit to ravaged Florida communities is not about politics
By Chris Pandolfo Fox News

Published September 2, 2023 4:23pm EDT

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WATCH LIVE: Biden, first lady join briefing on response, recovery efforts in Florida following deadly hurricane asked about visiting
Hurricane Idalia left behind severe damage and catastrophic flooding throughout the state. East Palestine, Ohio:
'It's going to be
awhile'

White House officials said Saturday they were caught flat-footed by Florida Gov. Ron
DeSantis' decision not to meet with President Biden when Biden visits the state later
today.

Biden had said earlier he would meet with the governor as he tours areas of Florida
damaged by Hurricane Idalia, but the DeSantis team contradicted the president.

"In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that
would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts," said
DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern.

At a gaggle on Air Force One, reporters asked Federal Emergency Management Agency
Director Deanne Criswell and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre what
happened, since the White House had said there was an agreed location for the
president's visit and that security preparations weren't an issue.

DESANTIS WILL NOT MEET BIDEN ON PRESIDENT'S POST-IDALIA TRIP

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland Sept. 2, 2023. The
Bidens are traveling to Florida to visit communities ravaged by Hurricane Idalia. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

"There was just no indication that he was not going to be there," Jean-Pierre said of
DeSantis.

Criswell, who surveyed the damage with DeSantis Wednesday and Thursday, said the area
Biden will visit in Live Oak was "mutually agreed on." She noted Biden spoke with the
governor by phone Thursday.

"What we look at is operational impacts, and this area, the power is being restored, the
roads are all open, and the access has not been hindered. And, so, that's why this was a
mutually agreed upon area for the president," Criswell said.

The officials declined to say whether they thought politics was at play since DeSantis is
running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to challenge Biden.

DESANTIS SAYS ‘SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE’ IN FLORIDA FROM HURRICANE IDALIA,

DOZENS OF RESCUES

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, talks on the phone with President Biden
after Hurricane Idalia in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty
Images)

"We're going to let the governor speak for himself," Jean-Pierre said, noting that DeSantis
is "welcome to meet with the president today.

"The president spoke with the governor. It was an understanding that the president said to
him he was coming to Florida. We never heard any disagreement with it."

DESANTIS PRAISES HURRICANE RESPONSE, ‘CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC’ FOR LESS

DEVASTATION THAN 2022'S IAN

Biden previously met with DeSantis in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian last year and once
for another disaster in 2021. Asked what was different this time, Jean-Pierre punted the
question.

"That is a question for the governor," she told reporters. "It is not about politics. It doesn't
matter if it's a red state or a blue state, the president's going to show up and be there for
the community. And that's what you're seeing."

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, center, shakes hands with residents
during a visit after Hurricane Idalia in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg
via Getty Images)

A spokesman for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The president announced his intention to visit Florida during a press conference from
FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Biden has also demanded Congress pass more disaster relief funding as soon as
possible, raising his original request of $12 billion to $16 billion.

DeSantis has said the loss of life and damage from Idalia was not on par with Ian, which
hit the heavily populated Fort Myers area, leaving 149 dead in the state.

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Idalia made landfall early Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane in the Big Bend region,
with winds up to 125 mph, shredding homes, ripping off roofs, snapping tall trees and
turning streets into rivers.

Itlater downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved north, hitting Georgia — resulting in one
confirmed death — and the Carolinas.

Fox News' Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.

Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him
on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

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