White House confirms Biden and DeSantis will meet in Florida Wednesday

President Joe Biden will meet with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis when he travels to Florida on Wednesday to see the damage from Hurricane Ian, the White House confirmed.

Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Fort Myers, which is being called the ‘ground zero’ of the state after Hurricane Ian made landfall. More than 100 people died in the aftermath of the storm that left millions without power and thousands homeless. An estimated $60 billion in damage was caused.

‘The president will meet with small business owners and local residents impacted by Hurricane Ian,’ White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in her preview of the trip at the Tuesday press briefing. 

‘Governor DeSantis, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and other state and local officials will also provide the president with an operational briefing on the current response and recovery efforts,’ she added.

President Joe Biden will meet with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis when he travels to Florida on Wednesday to see the damage from Hurricane Ian – above the two men together in July 2021 after the Surfside condo collapse

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday’s meeting in Florida would be about helping residents – not about politics

Decimated coastal towns and submerged homes are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the catastrophic loss caused by the violent weather front last week – above is Fort Myers beach

Biden and DeSantis have clashed repeatedly on political issues like immigrantion and covid precautions. DeSantis, who is up for re-election in November, is also seen as a possible contender for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Biden has indicated he will seek a second term in the White House – making them potential political rivals.

The two men met in July 2021 when Biden traveled to Florida in the wake of the Surfside condo collapse.

That meeting was cordial with DeSantis thanking Biden for the federal government’s help. Biden stressed the two men were working together.

‘Our message today is that we’re here for you as one nation,’ the president said at the time. ‘There’s no Democrat or Republican out there; there’s just people wanting to do the right thing for their fellow Americans.’ 

Jean-Pierre said Wednesday’s trip, like that one, will focus on how the federal government can help and not on politics.  

She was specificially asked if Biden would bring up DeSantis’ response to the illegal immigrants crossing the border. The Florida governor paid to have migrants in Texas flown to the tony onclave of Martha’s Vineyard, which the White House slammed as political stunt.

But Jean-Pierre said Biden would not bring up the subject.

‘Obviously the president laid out his concerns and outrage by the stunt – the political stunt,’ she said. ‘There will be plenty of time to discuss differences between the president and the governor. But now is not the time.’

‘He’s going to be listening to the people who live there who have lost so much. He’s going to be talking to the the respondents on the ground who haven’t been done a tremendous work,’ she said of Biden. 

Despite the political tension, Biden has said the two men have worked together to help those affected by the hurricane.

When asked by a reporter last week how his relationship with DeSantis was, the president was particularly positive.

‘In fact, very fine. He complimented me,’ Biden said. ‘He thanked me for the immediate response we had. He told me how much he appreciated it. He said he was extremely happy with what’s going on.’ 

‘This is not about anything having to do with our disagreements politically. This is about saving people’s lives, homes, and businesses.’

President Joe Biden and Jill Biden traveled to Puerto Rico on Monday to see the damage from Hurricane Fiona

Gov. Ron DeSantis in Lee County, home to Fort Myers and epicenter of the hurricane’s devastation on Florida’s Gulf Coast

This aerial photo shows damaged homes and debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers

A broken section of the Pine Island Road and destroyed houses in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Matlacha, Florida. The death toll has reached over 100 in Florida, according to officials 

DeSantis has also toned down his rhetoric in recent days. 

Previously he had criticized federal hurricane assistance as a ‘boondoggle’ saying it was being delivered with a ‘put it on the credit card mentality.’ 

However, last week, in Florida’s hour of need, DeSantis reached out to the federal government for aid. 

‘You know, when people are fighting for their lives, when their whole livelihood is at stake, when they’ve lost everything — if you can’t put politics aside for that, then you’re just not going to be able to,’ the governor said.

Hurricane Ian made landfall last Wednesday as one of the strongest hurricanes ever in the United States. 

The storm flooded homes on Florida’s coasts, cut off the only bridge to a barrier island, and destroyed a historic waterfront pier. 

Meanwhile, Fort Myers Beach residents were warned that they may not be able to return to their waterlogged homes for months because of the devastation blighting the coastal community. 

The Bidens visited Puerto Rico on Monday to see the storm damage there from Hurricane Fiona.