Stephen King slams ‘sulky teenager’ DeSantis for his response to Hurricane Milton
The Florida governor refused to take a phone call from Kamala Harris about the storm that ‘seemed political’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Author Stephen King has laid into Florida governor Ron DeSantis for his response to Hurricane Milton, as the huge storm batters the US state, already causing “multiple deaths”.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, bringing multiple tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.
Evacuation alerts were blasted out to millions, with Bradenton Police Chief Melanie issuing a bleak prognosis for those who neglected advice.
Governor DeSantis is currently facing criticism for his handling of the natural disaster, amid reports that he refused to take a call from vice president Kamala Harris about disaster recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” a DeSantis aide told NBC News, adding that the calls “seemed political”.
In response, presidential candidate Harris said that DeSantis was “utterly irresponsible” and “selfish” and that in “moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says, I’m going to put politics aside and put the people first.”
King has now echoed the words of Harris, likening the 46-year-old Republican to a sulking teenager who has been rejected by a girl.
The Shining and Pet Semetary writer, said on X/Twitter: “Ron DeSantis’s decision not to take the vice president’s call ahead of Hurricane Milton was like a sulky teenager refusing to talk to a girl who won’t date him. Childish. And dangerous.”
This is one of a number of recent outbursts from King who has recently criticised both Elon Musk and Donald Trump and offered a blunt reaction to several of his books being banned in Florida.
DeSantis has since accused Harris of politicising his response to the hurricane.
“We’ve been on emergency footing around the clock, two weeks straight,” DeSantis told Fox News on Tuesday. “That’s been my sole focus. My focus has not been on dealing with Kamala Harris. I saw the news report. I didn’t know she tried to contact me. It’s not about you, Kamala. It’s about the people of Florida.”
The governor then alleged that Harris never took an interest in Florida’s hurricane response until she began running for president.
“Why all of sudden is she trying to parachute in and inject herself when she’s never shown any interest in the past?” DeSantis said, adding, “I have zero time to entertain these political games.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments