As Hurricane Milton left a trail of destruction across Florida, Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Ron DeSantis became embroiled in a storm of political jabs that could only intensify an already volatile recovery.
The feud, which began after Hurricane Helene, has escalated into a public clash, with each side accusing the other of exploiting disaster response efforts for personal and political gain. For Harris, this means battling not just a hurricane but also a formidable opponent in DeSantis—who has dismissed her involvement as “theatrics” and questioned her role in the recovery effort.
The friction first emerged when Harris claimed that DeSantis was deliberately ignoring her outreach about storm relief following Hurricane Helene. She told the media that she felt leaders should prioritize the well-being of the people over political maneuvering in times of crisis. With so many in urgent need of support, she noted that engaging in political games during such critical emergencies is highly irresponsible and self-centered.
However, DeSantis fired back, saying that Harris’ suggestion that he is selfish is absurd. He noted that she has no role in the situation and pointed out that, despite her three and a half years as vice president, he has managed multiple storms during her tenure without any contribution from her to these efforts.
President Joe Biden’s intervention only added fuel to the fire. Biden confirmed that he had spoken with DeSantis regarding the response to Hurricane Helene and preparations for Hurricane Milton. According to the White House, Biden engaged with DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to get updates on the recovery efforts and offer further federal support if needed.
As federal aid poured into Florida, DeSantis praised the President for his swift response but didn’t hold back when talking about Harris: “I will say this: I’ve had storms under both President Trump and President Biden, and I’ve worked well with both of them. She’s the first one who’s trying to politicize the storm, and she’s doing that just because of her campaign. She’s trying to get some type of an edge,” he said.
Harris also took the opportunity to swipe at former President Trump, who had falsely accused her of diverting disaster relief funds to “illegal immigrants” — a claim debunked by the Biden administration as baseless fearmongering.
The aftermath of Hurricane Milton has left more than physical scars on Florida—it has also exposed a deep political divide that shows no signs of healing anytime soon.