Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida allegedly put “politics ahead of his job” by refusing to meet with President Joe Biden during the Democrat’s weekend visit to assess Hurricane Idalia’s damage in DeSantis’ state, according to Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie.
In an interview with Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on Tuesday, Christie said of his opponent for the 2024 nomination, “Your job as governor is to be the tour guide for the president, to make sure the president sees your people, sees the damage, sees the suffering, what’s going on, and what needs to be done to rebuild it.
“You’re performing your duties. And regrettably, he prioritized politics over his work,” Christie said. That was his decision.
Nobody understands how such a contentious political situation can produce a lasting image better than Christie. National Republicans scorned then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his cordial greeting of Democratic President Barack Obama during a visit following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Obama touched Christie’s shoulder with his hand. It was referred to as a “hug” by some Republicans, who believed it played a role in Mitt Romney’s defeat to Obama in that year’s general election.
By meeting with the president, Christie claimed he was merely carrying out his duties.
Idalia, a Category 3 storm that made landfall last week along Florida’s Big Bend region, caused extensive flooding and damage before heading north to saturate Georgia and the Carolinas.
The governor’s office stated that DeSantis had “no plans” to meet with Biden, implying that doing so might impede disaster response related to Idalia. Biden, who was touring the state on Saturday, had initially stated that he would meet with DeSantis during his trip.
When the president visited Florida following Hurricane Ivan last year and following the Surfside condo collapse in Miami Beach in the summer of 2021, Biden and DeSantis also had previous encounters. DeSantis, however, is currently seeking the presidency and aspires to face Biden in the general election of 2024.
Regarding Christie’s criticism, the DeSantis campaign remained silent. Although he and Obama had fundamentally different views on government, Christie has defended his own response to the president’s visit during Sandy by saying that both men did what had to be done for a devastated area.
But ever since, Christie has been followed by the “hug” incident. It came to light last month during the Republicans’ first 2024 debate when Vivek Ramaswamy asked the former governor if he wanted a “hug,” alluding to Obama’s post-Sandy visit, in response to a jab from Chris Christie, who said the biotech entrepreneur’s opening line about being a skinny kid with a difficult-to-pronounce name reminded him of Obama.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
