Christie says DeSantis put 'politics ahead of his job' by not seeing Biden during hurricane visit
Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put “politics ahead of his job” by declining to meet with President Joe Biden during Biden's weekend visit to survey Hurricane Idalia’s damage in DeSantis’ state
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.Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had put “politics ahead of his job” by declining to meet with President Joe Biden during the Democrat's weekend visit to survey Hurricane Idalia's damage in DeSantis' state.
“Your job as governor is to be the tour guide for the president, is 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,” Christie said about his rival for the 2024 nomination in a Fox News interview Tuesday.
“You’re doing your job. And unfortunately, he put politics ahead of his job," Christie said. "That was his choice.”
No one knows better than Christie how such a sticky political situation can create an enduring image. Photos of then New Jersey Gov. Christie giving a warm greeting to Democratic President Barack Obama during a visit after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 earned Christie scorn among national Republicans.
Obama placed his hand on Christie’s shoulder. Some Republicans labeled it a “hug” and suggested it contributed to GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s loss to Obama in that year’s general election. Christie said he was simply doing his job by meeting with the president.
Idalia made landfall last week along Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm, causing widespread flooding and damage before moving north to drench Georgia and the Carolinas. Biden, who toured the state on Saturday, had initially said that he would meet with DeSantis during his trip, but the governor's office said DeSantis had “no plans” to see Biden, suggesting that doing so could hinder disaster response related to Idalia.
Biden and DeSantis have met other times when the president toured Florida after Hurricane Ian hit the state last year, and after the Surfside condo collapse in Miami Beach in the summer of 2021. But DeSantis is now running for president and hoping to take on Biden in the 2024 general election.
DeSantis' campaign did not comment about Christie's critique.
Christie has defended his own response to the presidential visit during Sandy, saying that although he and Obama had fundamentally different views on governing, the two men did what needed to be done for a devastated region.
The “hug” moment, however, has trailed Christie ever since. It emerged last month during Republicans' first 2024 debate, when Vivek Ramaswamy responded to a barb from Christie — who said the biotech entrepreneur's opening line about being a skinny kid with a hard-to-pronounce name reminded him of Obama — by asking if the former governor wanted a “hug,” a reference to Obama's post-Sandy visit.
___
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP