Joe Biden visited the region devastated by Hurricane Idália Portal / Leah Millis August 30, 2023
O President of the United States, Joe Biden, arrived in Florida this Saturday afternoon (2) to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Idália, which hit the region on Wednesday (30) with Category 3 winds of almost 200 km/h. He flew over the most devastated area, thanked rescue teams and met with residents of the state to comfort the affected families.
Accompanied by the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, the president, said that once the storm passes, we must deal with what comes after, stating: “[nós, do governo] We will be here as long as necessary.” He even guaranteed that there would be no shortage of money to rebuild what was lost.
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But contrary to what is typical for visits soon after major disasters, Biden was not received or accompanied by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and the Republican Party’s presidential candidate. When asked about the meeting, the president replied that he did not know what happened.
In fact, DeSantis, who is expected to have Biden as a rival in the 2024 election, did not want to meet with him. On the eve of the president’s trip, DeSantis said through one of his spokespeople that the visit could impact recovery efforts across the state.
This is one of the first times the two men showed signs of political rivalry in responding to a disaster. They were also together on other occasions, such as when Hurricane Ian passed through Southwest Florida in 2022.