Washington
CNN
—
President Joe Biden stated Thursday that the federal authorities is speeding to assist these affected by Hurricane Milton — and had a stark message for his predecessor, who has been spreading falsehoods concerning the federal response.
Asked by reporters after his remarks on the White House whether or not he had spoken with former President Donald Trump, Biden responded indignantly: “Are you kidding me?”
He then regarded on the digicam with a message straight for his predecessor: “Mr. President Trump — former President Trump — get a life, man. Help these people.”
Biden’s look on Thursday signifies how deeply the federal authorities desires to get their messaging in entrance of the deluge of misinformation that first began spreading within the wake of Hurricane Helene late final month and proliferates after Hurricane Milton this week. It’s the third time the president has addressed the nation concerning the storm in roughly 24 hours — every time, ensuring to straight denounce the spreading of false rumors whereas calling out probably the most distinguished promoters of storm-related misinformation, Trump, by title.
And requested once more as he left the room whether or not he deliberate to converse with Trump, Biden responded with: “No.”
Biden informed reporters he believes lives had been saved as a result of Florida residents listened to evacuation orders issued by native officers. But, he warned, it has solely been hours since Hurricane Milton made landfall and it was nonetheless too early to absolutely assess damages throughout the state.
“It’s too early to know the full account of the damage,” Biden stated from the White House on Thursday. “But we know lifesaving measures did make a difference.”
Warning there have been “still very dangerous conditions in the state,” Biden urged residents to proceed heeding directives from their native officers whereas vowing the federal authorities can be on the bottom for so long as it's wanted.
“Vice President Harris and I have been in constant contact with state and local officials,” the president added. “We’re offering everything they need.”
But Biden’s most forceful message got here concerning the swirl of misinformation and social media rumors concerning the storms which have unfold over the past month.
Some of the false data has led to assist staff receiving demise threats. Federal officers warned that in some circumstances the rumors are designed to forestall individuals who need assistance from looking for it.
“Those who engage in such lies are undermining confidence in the rescue and recovery work that’s ongoing,” Biden stated. “These lies are also harmful to those who most need help. Lives are on the line, people are in desperate situations — have the decency to tell them the truth.”
Biden added he’s been involved with governors, mayors and different officers throughout the world impacted by Hurricane Milton — looking for to make clear the extent of communication between federal and state governments after some studies indicated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was ignoring calls from Harris.
Though Harris has made clear her want to converse with DeSantis, it’s not clear what function can be served by a telephone name between the vice chairman and governor. Requests for catastrophe declarations or federal assist are routed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the president and wouldn't necessitate a dialog with the vice chairman.
DeSantis, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, stated he wasn’t conscious Harris had been attempting to attain him however added that Harris “has no role in this process” whereas noting he’s been in contact with each Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who appeared, however didn't converse, at a DeSantis-led media briefing in Florida earlier on Thursday.
Harris, the governor added, “is being selfish by trying to blunder into this when we’re working just fine.”
Biden and DeSantis spoke Monday night time because the storm was nonetheless brewing within the gulf, in accordance to the White House, and the pair spoke once more Thursday morning after the storm made landfall.
Both officers have spoken about one another positively as Florida labored to restoration from Helene and put together for Milton — not unusual for even essentially the most bitter of political rivals working collectively to recuperate from pure disasters.
Biden has additionally spoken with quite a few different lawmakers, together with staunch Trump supporter and Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott.
Biden White House officers had mentioned the potential of appointing a coordinator – typically colloquially referred to as a “czar” – to oversee storm restoration efforts after Hurricane Helene devastated the nation’s southeast earlier than deciding in opposition to creating such a job, sources informed CNN.
Officials concerned within the deliberations of a possible czar had taken under consideration the severity and sheer scale of the injury left by Helene final month – significantly in western North Carolina – and had been centered on guaranteeing a streamlined nationwide technique to deal with the restoration efforts, sources stated.
When reached for remark, a senior White House official informed CNN that “there are no plans to appoint a hurricane coordinator.”
“For any disaster response, we always discuss every potential lever and tool,” the official stated. “We have a strong team in place led by the president and the vice president at the White House and across the interagency to keep executing on our strong response and recovery efforts.”
The beforehand unreported discussions a couple of doable hurricane restoration czar alerts the urgency with which the federal authorities, beneath Biden’s watch, is attempting to reply to the injury wreaked by Helene final month. That activity solely grew exponentially bigger this week after Hurricane Milton handed by Florida.
Such a coordinator would have performed a major public-facing position within the Biden administration’s efforts to fight what it has warned is harmful misinformation and disinformation concerning the authorities’s position within the storm restoration, one supply informed CNN. It was doable that the person would have held public briefings at an everyday cadence.
It will not be clear whether or not particular names for the coordinator position had been mentioned.
The senior White House official stated the administration’s work to reply to Helene and Milton has been “around the clock.”
“Bipartisan officials in impacted states are grateful for the robust whole of government effort coordinated through the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA,” the official stated.
Biden, like a few of his predecessors, has appointed a number of czars throughout his time in workplace. Zients beforehand served because the Biden administration’s Covid coordinator, taking the lead in each side of the federal government’s response to the historic coronavirus pandemic.
Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu served as Biden’s co-called infrastructure czar, tasked with overseeing the administration’s work throughout the nation to implement a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package deal.
Former President George W. Bush appointed a Gulf Coast reconstruction czar, Donald Powell, to coordinate the federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
This story has been up to date with extra reporting.
