WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gov. Ron DeSantis did not meet up with President Joe Biden while he was in Florida to survey Hurricane Idalia damage over the weekend.

The President was joined instead by another prominent Florida Republican, Sen. Rick Scott. 

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Ron DeSantis did not join President Joe Biden during his visit to Florida

  • Biden was instead joined by Sen. Rick Scott

  • Scott says he met with the President to urge Biden to support his Federal Disaster Responsibility Act

While Biden and DeSantis have traded barbs politically over the past year, Scott posted on X that he had a reason to meet with the president.

“I met with (Biden) in Live Oak to deliver one clear message — Floridians need him to give his support for the immediate passage of my Federal Disaster Responsibility Act,” Scott posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He said the legislation would provide at least $16.5 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund.

In the lead-up to Biden's trip to Florida Saturday, DeSantis expressed reservations about the president visiting impacted communities, saying his presence would interfere with relief efforts.

That’s an explanation Lawrence Parnell, a professor at the George Washington University, wasn't buying.

He said he believes DeSantis likely concluded that meeting with the Democratic president would be bad for his own campaign for the White House.

“I guess he made the political calculation, or his colleagues did, that shunning the president would make some kind of a statement," Parnell said, adding that "it remains to be seen if that's smart or not, but if you look at the big picture, it seems to me like an amateur move."

Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried criticized DeSantis's decision to forgo meeting with Biden.

“By refusing to meet with President Biden, he’s proving again what we’ve known for years — Ron will always put politics over people. I hope his fundraisers in Iowa are worth it," she said.

Biden and DeSantis did meet face-to-face last year in Florida after Hurricane Ian hit the state. That was before DeSantis announced his run for president.