‘Remarkable’: Biden and DeSantis Praise Each Other at Joint Presser on Hurricane Relief Efforts

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and President Joe Biden complimented one another Wednesday over the handling of relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Biden visited Fort Meyers to view the devastation Ian brought to the area a week ago. In a joint presser, DeSantis called efforts from state and federal officials to work together the best he has seen.

“I think one of the things that you’re seeing in this response, we are cutting through the bureaucracy,” he said. “We are cutting through the red tape. And that’s from local government, state government all the way up to the president, so we appreciate the team effort.”

The Florida Republican commented on the unpredictability of hurricane forecasting and said southwest Florida took a knockout blow.

Desantis said:

I’m just thankful that everyone’s banded together. We’ve got a lot of work to do here. But, I’ll tell you, the spirit of the people of this state, in southwest Florida, has been phenomenal. When I’m meeting with people that have lost everything that are 85, 90-years-old in shelters and all they can do is thank the Red Cross, the fire, the state, FEMA for all the support, that shows you some of these folks.

“They are thankful that they have so many people that are there supporting, and you only get there if it’s a team effort,” DeSantis said.

Before he handed the podium over to Biden, DeSantis thanked him for offering the people of Florida the full resources of the federal government.

“So, Mr. President, welcome to Florida,” he said. “We appreciate working together across various levels of Government and the floor is yours.”

Biden spoke at the presser, but technical difficulties forced networks to cut away. According to Kathryn Watson with CBS News, Biden called DeSantis’ leadership in the aftermath of the storm “remarkable.”

DeSantis could face Biden in a 2024 general election if the president runs for another term and DeSantis runs and defeats former President Donald Trump (and the rest of the field) in a GOP primary.

Watch above, via WFTS.

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