Biden cancels overseas trip as Milton bears down on Florida; DeSantis tells VP 'it's not about you Kamala'

With a 2nd almighty hurricane successful little than 2 weeks bearing down connected Florida, President Biden connected Tuesday canceled an upcoming planetary travel successful bid to oversee national tempest preparations and effect efforts.

As the decease toll rises and astir 200,000 radical stay without powerfulness oregon moving h2o implicit a week and a fractional aft Hurricane Helen tore a way of demolition done the southeast United States, Hurricane Milton - an highly unsafe Category 4 tempest - is connected people to slam into Florida connected Wednesday.

"Given the projected trajectory and spot of Hurricane Milton, President Biden is postponing his upcoming travel to Germany and Angola successful bid to oversee preparations for and the effect to Hurricane Milton, successful summation to the ongoing effect to the impacts of Hurricane Helene crossed the Southeast," White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said successful a connection connected Tuesday.

The president was scheduled to permission for Berlin connected Thursday, followed by a halt successful Angola earlier returning location connected Oct. 15. The travel would person marked Biden's archetypal halt connected the African continent during his tenure arsenic president.

EYE OF THE STORM: BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES IMPACT HARRIS-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

President Biden, center, delivers remarks connected the national government's effect to Hurricane Helene and preparations for Hurricane Milton successful the Roosevelt Room of the White House connected Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 successful Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Speaking with reporters connected Tuesday, the president called Milton a perchance "devastating" tempest that could beryllium 1 of the worst to deed Florida successful a century. He besides urged anyone nether an evacuation bid to "evacuate now, now, now."

"It’s a substance of beingness and death," Bien emphasized.

Biden besides said helium spoke connected Monday with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, adding that the blimpish politician had been cooperative and that helium gave his idiosyncratic telephone fig to DeSantis.

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When asked astir the national tempest response, DeSantis said during a quality league connected Monday that "we person gotten what we request from the feds… the president has approved what we asked for… I’m thankful for that."

"Everything we’ve asked for from President Biden, he’s approved," DeSantis highlighted.

The politician reiterated those comments Tuesday greeting successful an interrogation connected "Fox and Friends."

"Every petition that we’ve made – I’ve been successful interaction with the president, I’ve been successful interaction with the FEMA director," DeSantis highlighted. "All of our requests person been answered."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds aggregate tempest mentation quality conferences connected Oct. 7, 2024 arsenic Hurricane Milton bears down connected Florida. (Office of Florida governor)

While DeSantis has complimented the president's actions, helium has taken purpose astatine Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democrats' statesmanlike nominee connected Monday - reacting to reports that the politician had refused to instrumentality her calls regarding national tempest efforts - described him arsenic "selfish."

When asked astir the dispute, DeSantis argued successful his "Fox and Friends" interrogation that "my absorption has not been connected dealing with Kamala Harris. I saw the quality report. I didn’t cognize that she tried to interaction me. But I’d besides accidental it’s not astir you, Kamala. It’s astir the radical of Florida. My absorption is precisely wherever it should be."

"I’ve worked connected these Hurricanes nether some President Trump and President Biden. Neither of them ever tried to politicize it. She’s ne'er called connected immoderate of the storms we’ve had since she’s been vice president until seemingly now. Why each of a abrupt is she trying to parachute successful and inject herself erstwhile she’s ne'er shown immoderate involvement successful the past? We cognize it’s due to the fact that of politics. We cognize it’s due to the fact that of her campaign. I person zero clip to entertain these governmental games," DeSantis charged.

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The warfare of words appeared to beryllium triggered by reports from NBC and aboriginal ABC News connected Monday day that the Florida governor was not taking calls from Harris regarding tempest betterment efforts, citing unnamed aides to the politician who said the calls seemed governmental successful nature.

When asked a mates of hours later, DeSantis said helium was not alert Harris was trying to scope him.

"I didn’t cognize that she had called. I’m not definite who they called. They didn’t telephone me," helium said. "It wasn’t thing that anybody successful my bureau did, successful presumption of saying it was political."

Speaking astir the aforesaid time, arsenic she departed the nation's superior for New York, the vice president took purpose astatine DeSantis.

"People are successful hopeless request of enactment close present and playing governmental games astatine this infinitesimal successful these situation situations…is conscionable utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish," Harris charged. "It is astir governmental gamesmanship, alternatively of doing the occupation that you took an oath to do, which is to enactment the radical first."

Democratic statesmanlike nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives astatine LaGuardia Airport connected Monday Oct. 7, 2024 successful New York. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

However, DeSantis, pushing backmost successful his Fox News interview, argued that "Harris is not adjacent successful the concatenation of command. She has nary relation successful this. The thought that I should be…worrying astir her erstwhile I’m focused connected the task astatine manus is rather frankly absurd."

When asked if his vice president has been adjuvant arsenic the national authorities deals with back-to-back unsafe hurricanes, Biden nodded and told reporters "yes."

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Harris, speaking connected Tuesday connected the fashionable daytime programme "The View," said "I person called and talked with, successful the people of this crisis, this astir caller crisis, with Democrat and Republican governors…. So, obviously, this is not an contented that is astir partisanship oregon authorities for definite leaders, but possibly it's for others."

With 4 weeks to spell until Election Day successful November and Harris and former President Donald Trump locked successful a bitter margin-of-error showdown successful the contention to win Biden successful the White House, and with 2 of the hardest-hit states from Helene — North Carolina and Georgia — among the 7 cardinal battlegrounds that volition apt find the result of the 2024 election – the authorities of national catastrophe alleviation are erstwhile again beforehand and halfway connected the run trail.

Trump, for a week and a half, has been repeatedly attacking Biden and Harris implicit the national effect to Hurricane Helene, and making unproven claims. 

On Monday, Harris clapped back, accusing Trump of pushing "a batch of mis and disinformation." 

Fox News' Nick Rojas contributed to this story.

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