Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris for trying to involve herself in the response to hurricanes Helene and Milton on Thursday.
DeSantis and Harris have been at odds after the governor refused to take her call regarding hurricane relief. He stated Harris has "no role" in the process and mentioned she hadn’t contacted him during previous Florida storms.
"I am working with the president of the United States. I'm working with the FEMA director. We've been at this for over two weeks," DeSantis said Thursday.
He added, "Although I've worked well with the president, she has never called Florida. She has never offered any support. I don't have time for those games. I don't care about her campaign."
The dispute caught the attention of the White House press office. A reporter asked President Biden if DeSantis should have taken the vice president’s calls.
"All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Governor DeSantis," Biden responded. "He's been very gracious. He thanked me for all we've done. He knows what we’re doing, and I think that's important."
Biden has been in frequent contact with DeSantis since Hurricane Helene threatened the Southeast two weeks ago. Hurricane Milton then made landfall on Wednesday, and Biden assured DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to "call him directly" if they need more help.
DeSantis mentioned on Tuesday that all his federal requests for support had been fulfilled.
Harris accused DeSantis of playing "political games" during the crisis.
"People are in desperate need right now. Playing political games in these emergency situations is utterly irresponsible and selfish," Harris told reporters Monday.
Biden, however, described DeSantis as "cooperative" in the response.