DeSantis reportedly rejects Harris' calls as Florida braces for new hurricane | Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reportedly rejecting calls from Kamala Harris to restore the storm, more than a week after Hurricane Helene hit the state and two days before Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the southwest part of the state.

NBC News reported Monday, citing a DeSantis aide, that the Republican governor dodged the Democratic presidential nominee's calls because they “seemed political.”

“Kamala tried to reach us and we didn’t respond,” the DeSantis aide told the outlet. As of Monday afternoon, DeSantis also did not appear to have spoken to Joe Biden, to the adviser's knowledge.

However, a White House pool report on Monday evening said the US president had separate phone calls with DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to get a first-hand account of Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and preparations for Hurricane Milton.

Biden asked DeSantis and Castor to call him directly if anything could be done to further support the response and recovery efforts.

However, the governor of Florida has contacted Fema Director Deanne Criswell.

Last week, DeSantis said Biden called him, but he was on the plane at the time and couldn't take the call. A source familiar with the planning of Biden's trip to North Florida to examine Helene's damage said the Biden team invited DeSantis to the event, but their schedules conflicted.

The response to Hurricane Helene has become an intense political issue a month before the presidential election. The White House and local Democratic leaders have called for an end to misinformation about the storm and the response to it.

Both Trump and Vice President Harris have made trips to some of the affected states. Republicans have linked disaster relief to immigration, including falsely claiming that Fema spent disaster funds on immigration relief. The White House and the agency itself have disputed that characterization.

At a White House briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that the administration would launch “a robust federal response” to the impending storm.

“I would have to leave everything else to the governor, his actions and the way he wants to move forward. This is for him,” Jean-Pierre added.

The White House press secretary added that “misinformation and disinformation is a problem across the board…Whether it's the election or what we're seeing with Hurricane Helene or the upcoming Hurricane Milton.”

After Helene met, DeSantis told reporters that the federal government should focus on North Carolina.

“Florida, we have it under control,” DeSantis said. “We have what we need…Most efforts should be in western North Carolina at this time, as there are still active rescue operations to be conducted there.”

DeSantis also sent resources from Florida to North Carolina, including members of the Florida National Guard and officials from several state agencies.