The White House dismissed concerns in response to questions about President Joe Biden not speaking with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ahead of Hurricane Ian’s impending landfall.
“In the past, President Biden has made calls to [Republican] governors in situations like natural disasters, [such as] Kay Ivey in Alabama, Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas or the governor in Texas,” a reporter asked FEMA chief Deanne Criswell on Tuesday who was standing alongside White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “Can you articulate how these determinations are made and why it hasn’t been made in this case to have the president call the governor?”
