DeSantis warns Biden post-hurricane Florida trip could be ‘very disrup

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he told President Biden his planned visit to parts of the Sunshine State impacted by Hurricane Idalia could be “very disruptive” to ongoing recovery efforts.

The fierce political rivals have been in regular contact in the wake of the destructive storm, with Biden telling reporters Thursday he would travel to Florida Saturday morning.

“One thing I did mention to him on the phone is where these communities [are] — the 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,” DeSantis told reporters during a briefing in Tallahassee.

The 2024 Republican presidential contender said he didn’t know what Biden’s plans were for the visit, or if the governor would meet with the president personally at any point. As of midday Friday, the White House had yet to specify Biden’s plans.

“I don’t have details,” DeSantis said. “We’ve been running through our paces and doing everything.”

The governor said he expects the president’s team to coordinate with Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie as plans for a Biden tour develop.

While DeSantis voiced some logistical concerns over the visit, Biden said earlier this week that he does not expect politics to complicate recovery efforts.

“I think he trusts my judgment and my desire to help, and I trust him to be able to suggest that this is not about politics, it’s about taking care of the people of the state,” the president said of DeSantis Wednesday.

DeSantis has repeatedly bashed Biden’s performance as commander-in-chief, with the attacks intensifying after the governor entered the presidential race this past May.

The White House has also routinely attacked DeSantis in recent months over his conservative policies in Florida.

The Republican hopeful paused his presidential campaign this week to return to Florida to deal with the storm.

DeSantis said Friday that 476,000 Florida residents have had their power restored and that he expects the remaining outages to be resolved this weekend.

Idalia barreled across four states after making landfall as a Category 3 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region Wednesday morning, bringing record storm surges and punishing winds that wreaked havoc in impacted areas.

While damage from the storm was extensive, DeSantis said the fast-moving hurricane could have been far worse.