Hours after a spokesperson for Ron DeSantis (R) said the White House-seeking Florida governor never had plans to meet with President Joe Biden on Saturday and survey the recent hurricane damage, the top FEMA administrator said on CNN that a meeting had indeed been agreed to.
According to DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern, "We don’t have any plans for the governor to meet with the president tomorrow. 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.”
Speaking with host Amara Walker, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was first asked about relief efforts before turning to the visit by Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Saturday.
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"As you know, presidential trips to disaster zones, they’re closely coordinated with local and state leaders. And of course, there’s been this back and forth on whether or not President Biden will be meeting with the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis," Walker prompted before asking, "How much coordination has there been at the federal and state level? And will President Biden be meeting with Governor DeSantis today?"
According to Criswell, "... there has been a tremendous amount of coordination," before she turned to the Biden/DeSantis meeting that will now not happen.
"I traveled with the governor on Thursday and we went to some of the more rural coastal communities and access is fairly limited there," the FEMA official recalled. "And so when the president contacted the governor to let him know he was going to be visiting, we mutually agreed; the governor’s team and my team mutually agreed on a place that would have a minimal impact into [recovery] operations."
She later added, "I would have to refer you to the governor on what his schedule is going to be," before continuing, "But I know that the president and the first lady are really looking forward to meeting with these first responders and these communities that have been impacted and letting them know that the government is here and that the president has directed all of us to bring the resources we have to help them on their road to recovery."
You can watch below or at the link.
CNN 09 02 2023 07 23 56youtu.be
