Ron DeSantis accuses Harris of politicizing hurricane relief efforts by 'injecting herself' into his work

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: Ron DeSantis criticized Kamala Harris for labeling him "utterly irresponsible" following his refusal to take her calls regarding the response to Hurricane Milton and Helene.

On Thursday, October 10, the Florida governor asserted that the vice president had "never offered any support" and that she was “trying to inject herself into this because of her political campaign.”

Ron DeSantis hits back at Kamala Harris

Only a few hours after the devastating Hurricane Milton hit The Sunshine State, DeSantis responded to Harris' comments about him on his CNBC’s Squawk Box appearance.

“Some praise came your way from President Biden, then there was this brouhaha over VP Harris reaching out to you, and you maybe not taking a call, accusations that this has all become politicized, can you just speak to what has happened here?” Sorkin asked DeSantis.

To this, the Florida governor replied, “I am working with the President of the United States, I’m working with the director of FEMA, I’m marshaling all my state assets. We’ve been doing this now nonstop for over two weeks between Helene and this. And so if there’s anything I can leverage to benefit my people, I’m going to do it.”

DeSantis continued by stating that he has "worked well" with Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the Democratic nominee “has never called Florida.”

He then criticized Harris for unnecessarily politicizing a hurricane, which her administration has handled poorly historically, "The fact of the matter is they put out a story saying I didn’t take [her calls]. I didn’t even know she was trying to reach me, but she has no role in this process."

"And I’ve been dealing with these storms in Florida under both Trump and Biden. Neither of them ever politicized it. And, in fact, all the storms I’ve dealt with under this administration, although I’ve worked well with the president, [Harris] has never called in Florida. She has never offered any support," he went on to say.

The 46-year-old concluded, "So what she’s doing is she’s trying to inject herself into this because of her political campaign. So as the governor here who’s leading this, I don’t have time for those games. I don’t care about her campaign. Obviously, I'm not a supporter of hers, but she's not, she has no role in this process. And so I'm working with the people I need to be working with.”

Kamala Harris slammed Ron DeSantis for not taking her call

Earlier this week, Harris criticized the Florida governor during her appearance on 'The View' on Tuesday, October 8.

“I called the governor about what Florida has received in terms of impact,” Harris made a statement to the talk show hosts. “We have to have an agreement that, at some point, we all need to work together to combine resources, especially federal, state, and local resources, around these kinds of disasters. I think it’s a shame that that hasn’t happened.”

On Wednesday, October 9, the tension between DeSantis and Harris escalated to the White House press office. A reporter questioned if it was the Republican governor's duty to answer the vice president's calls, to which Biden replied, “The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he’s gotten all that he needs."

"I talked to him again yesterday. I literally gave him my personal phone number to call,” Biden added; “So I don’t know — there was a rough start in some places, but every governor, every governor from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully cooperative and supportive and acknowledged what this team is doing.”

Internet shows support for Ron DeSantis in his criticism of Kamala Harris

As soon as DeSantis' remarks hit social media, his supporters rallied to back him and criticize Harris. A user remarked, "He's right! How dare her. Everything she does is counterproductive."

Another added, "This is great , he's highlighting how totally useless she is in a crisis. Good one Ron."

Another added, "Ron DeSantis is on fire! Having none of Kamala's politicization of Hurricane Milton."

"Go Gov. DeSantis! He called out her b.s. and stayed focus on his mission. She has no mission other than as a political opportunist," one supporter commented.

A person claimed, "Governor DeSantis would make a great FEMA director. He would clean it up and make it efficient."

A user said, "This is one reason why we love Governor DeSantis!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.