President Joe Biden sidestepped a chance to defend Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday. The question was about her clash with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis regarding hurricane recovery.
Harris expressed frustration that Hurricane Milton's response was turning political. This came just days after she criticized DeSantis for not returning her calls. When asked if DeSantis should take her calls, Biden didn’t answer directly.
“Mr. President, does Gov. DeSantis need to take Vice President Harris’s calls?” RealClearPolitics correspondent Phil Wegmann inquired.
“All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Gov. DeSantis. He’s been very gracious. He’s thanked me for all we’ve done,” Biden replied, before exiting the room.
This isn’t the first time Biden and Harris have disagreed on DeSantis this week. After Harris accused him of politicizing the hurricane response, Biden tweeted that he had discussed recovery efforts with the governor. DeSantis called her comments “political games,” suggesting her outreach might be a campaign tactic.
“She has never called on any of the storms we have had since she has been vice president until apparently now,” DeSantis said on Tuesday's Fox and Friends. “Why all the sudden is she trying to parachute in and inject herself?”
“I have zero time to entertain these political games,” he added.
Biden, reflecting on his past campaign, noted he feels at peace with his decision to endorse Harris after dropping out. However, he still grapples with why he was pressured off the ticket.
“Our relationship is fine,” he said when asked about his connection to Speaker Pelosi. “I never fully believed the assertions that somehow there was this overwhelming reluctance of my running again.”
Despite polls suggesting otherwise, he felt confident he could beat Trump. “I stepped down because I started thinking about it … you know, it’s hard to think, I know you’re only thirty,” he said, leaning toward Farah. “But it’s hard for me to even say how old I am.”