Biden and DeSantis navigate hurricane response collectively

President Joe Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) are taking part in up the positives as they work collectively within the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, and the way effectively they achieve this may have main implications for every of their futures.

The 2 males might be opponents within the 2024 presidential race, resulting in intense questioning from reporters about how effectively they're getting alongside. To this point, every has complimented the opposite, however Biden did take a veiled shot at his most up-to-date White Home predecessor earlier than heading to Puerto Rico on Monday.

HURRICANE FORCES BIDEN AND DESANTIS TO TRY TO BURY THE HATCHET — FOR NOW

"I’m heading to Puerto Rico as a result of they haven’t been taken excellent care of," Biden stated, referencing the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria in 2017. "They’ve been making an attempt like hell to catch up from the final hurricane. I wish to see the state of affairs as we speak and ensure we push the whole lot we will."

White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was much more direct in her feedback whereas discussing the greater than $10 billion approved by the president for Hurricane Fiona cleanup.

"The final administration, as I stated on the prime, restricted [the] capacity for Puerto Rico to entry $5 billion in funds," Jean-Pierre informed reporters touring on Air Power One. "And in order that's together with for essential restoration and reconstruction wants, and so that is what we noticed within the final administration."

Biden has been nothing however complimentary of DeSantis to date, saying they've spoken loads of instances and calling questions on their talks irrelevant. DeSantis thanked the administration for its assist throughout a Fox News look, saying it is vital to work collectively no matter occasion strains.

Nonetheless, controversy has swelled on the margins as Ian restoration effort begins in earnest and Biden spends elements of his week in Puerto Rico and Florida.

DeSantis's camp obtained in a row with Vice President Kamala Harris over the position that fairness will play within the restoration, main Jean-Pierre to weigh in as effectively. Questions have been raised about DeSantis accepting federal funds whereas criticizing Biden and his opposition to some federal funding spent on Hurricane Sandy a decade in the past.

Presidential historian Craig Shirley stated each males are dealing with the scenario effectively however that Biden will see the most important profit.

"It'll be a 50-pound weight on DeSantis," he stated. "It's going to maintain him again inside the Republican Get together. Simply by being a conservative related to a liberal, the conservative suffers."

Shirley, a former political guide, stated hurricanes normally work to a presidential incumbent's favor as a result of they are often seen responding to the scenario in an affected state and doling out federal cash to assist. He labored on George H.W. Bush's marketing campaign in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew devastated Florida. Bush misplaced his reelection bid however received the Sunshine State.

Since then, a number of high-profile hurricanes have performed out in presidential politics — and never at all times to the incumbent's benefit. A couple of examples.

• Hurricane Katrina, 2005: Maybe probably the most notorious of all presidential hurricane responses belongs to George W. Bush, who was sharply criticized within the weeks after Katrina hit New Orleans. Bush was accused of mismanagement and considered as out of contact after pictures confirmed him flying over storm injury aboard Air Power One. Some pundits say Bush by no means recovered politically from the storm.

• Hurricane Sandy, 2012: Slamming the New York Metropolis space simply days earlier than the 2012 election, Sandy was broadly seen as boosting President Barack Obama's reelection bid. Obama toured affected websites, led response efforts, and gained a polling edge within the marketing campaign's last days over GOP challenger Mitt Romney.

• Hurricane Maria, 2017: President Donald Trump drew unfavorable headlines for his response to Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico 5 years in the past. Trump visited the island to survey injury attributable to the storm, a visit largely remembered for his tossing rolls of paper towels right into a crowd alongside authorities officers. The Trump administration's Maria cleanup was additionally tainted by scandal, as a Montana firm tied to then-Inside Secretary Ryan Zinke and a former Federal Emergency Administration Company official accepted bribes linked to $1.8 billion in rebuilding contracts.

Biden took care to distance himself from Trump earlier than even boarding Air Power One to go to Puerto Rico this time. He will Florida on Wednesday.

Whereas the president and DeSantis have to date prevented battle over Ian, that resolve will likely be examined within the days and weeks forward.

A number of mini controversies have emerged already. CNN host Don Lemon raised just a few eyebrows for making an attempt to hyperlink Ian to local weather change, and DeSantis was questioned a few late evacuation of Florida's Lee County and for reminding any would-be looters that Florida is a "Second Modification state."

"All the things is political now," Shirley stated, noting the distinction between as we speak's surroundings and when Hurricane Andrew hit 30 years in the past. "When Andrew hit in 1992, it was not political in any respect. It was by no means political. Now, the whole lot is political on a regular basis."