DeSantis will not meet Biden during president's trip to Florida for Idalia damage survey
Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will not be meeting President Joe Biden when he visits the state on Saturday (September 2) to inspect the regions most impacted by Hurricane Idalia.
“We don’t have any plans for the governor to meet with the president tomorrow," DeSantis’ press secretary, Jeremy Redfern said.
“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,” he added.
Earlier, during a briefing in Tallahassee, DeSantis said he told Biden on a phone call that the president's visit could be disruptive.
“One thing I did mention to him on the phone is where these communities arethe hardest-hit communities - it would be very disruptive to have the whole security apparatus that goes because there are only so many ways to get into these places,” said DeSantis.
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While DeSantis and hisoffice refusethe meeting between the two leaders,White House Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall said she expected aBiden-DeSantis meeting.
“We’re just planning the visit, but I will say that every time I’ve been to Florida with the president, he has met, of course, with Gov. DeSantis and traveled the disaster zone, whether it’s from last year’s hurricane or when the Surfside condominium building collapsed,” Sherwood-Randall said.
“Often, they’ll meet, have a briefing from the emergency responders. It can be in the open, as it was from the hurricane last year. It could be in a briefing room, as it was at Surfside. They are very collegial when we have the work to do together of helping Americans in need, citizens of Florida in need,” she added.
Watch |Hurricane Idalia leaves behind a trail of destruction
Hurricane Idalia
Hurricane Idalia made landfall earlier this week on Wednesday (August 30) alongFlorida’s Big Bend region. After causing widespread damage and flooding, the weakened storm moved north todrench Georgia and the Carolinas.According to DeSantis, residents in Florida will have their power restored by the end of this weekend.
Ever since attending the first Republican debate in Milwaukee, DeSantis has completely shifted his attention to recovery efforts in his constituency. His press office said the campaign trail was currently on halt and it remains unclear when he will resume again.
(With inputs from agencies)
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