Biden meets with DeSantis in Florida to assess hurricane damage


President Biden visited Florida on Wednesday to meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
The storm hit Florida last week as a Category 4 hurricane and caused devastating damage, with state and local officials reporting at least 100 deaths, per The New York Times.
The two political rivals called a temporary truce to survey the state. DeSantis and his wife greeted the president and first lady Jill Biden before an operational briefing and an aerial tour of the area. President Biden also met with local residents about the damages, reported ABC News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After assessing the ruin, President Biden promised to provide the area with long-term federal aid, CNN reported. He also referenced the 4,000 personnel on the ground, as well as the assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Further, the president touted how he pushed the Small Business Administration to speed up the processing of disaster loans, and vowed that the government would cover 100 percent of the cost of storm clean-up, added CNN. DeSantis said in a press conference that Florida is "fortunate to have good coordination with the White House and FEMA from the very beginning of this."
"We have a long road ahead of us," Biden said, "rebuilding entire communities from the ground up."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
'It's America that refuses to listen and learn'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska