President Joe Biden arrived in Florida Saturday afternoon to visit the stormravaged state where he will meet with Floridians impacted by Hurricane Idalia tour damage and thank emergency responders . Biden and DeSantis have previously met under challenging circumstances the two convened in response to the Surfside building collapse and again in following Hurricane Ians damage in southwestern Florida . On Saturday FEMA administrator Deanna Criswell said that Biden had contacted the governor to inform him of the visit and that operational impacts in the area were taken into account in choosing a location for the presidents visit . The president and the Republican governor have been in close touch leading up to during and after the hurricane which made landfall Wednesday in the coastal Big Bend region as a powerful Category storm . The White House had earlier attempted to downplay any rivalry between the two when it comes to responding to a natural disaster . The visit will be the first time the two men have showed signs of their political rivalry while responding to such a disaster . For De Santis staying away from the visit will eliminate the possibility of any collegiality between them being caught on camera during a tense Republican primary race between Biden and the Democratic president . Biden joked that he had been in contact with the governor in part by taking aim at the Biden White House in recent years in part with the Democratic governor in recent weeks . The trip will also eliminate the chance of being caught up with the Republican presidential primary . The governor has been in touch with the president. The Florida Republican has been described as ‘trying to avoid being caught in a tight-and-rushenged by DeSantantant. The president.’ The president’Santan’s wife. Biden has said that he has been on
Biden heads to Florida to tour Idalia damage as presidential politics swirl . Biden tours Id
