Biden undermines Harris' claim that Ron DeSantis is politicizing hurricane response:

President Joe Biden praised Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for being “cooperative” and doing a “great job” in his response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, even as Vice President Kamala Harris criticized DeSantis for playing “political games.” “play” instead of doing his job responding to the storms.

NBC News reported Monday that DeSantis denied phone calls from Harris' team. “People urgently need support now and are playing political games with this moment. In these crisis situations, they are the peak of the emergency situation. This is just completely irresponsible and selfish,” Harris told reporters on Monday.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's opinion of Florida's Republican governor's response to Hurricane Helene and his preparation for Milton diverged significantly from his vice president's opinion Tuesday.

“The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he got everything he needed. I spoke to him again yesterday and said – no – you are doing a great job, everything is being done well and we thank you for it,” Biden said at a press conference at the White House on Tuesday. “It was a difficult start in some places, but every governor, every governor – from Florida to North Carolina – was fully cooperative and supportive.”

RON DESANTIS: 51 COUNTIES ARE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, second from right, speaks to linemen before a news conference Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company offices in Tampa, Fla., as Tropical Storm Helene, which is expected to become a Hurricane will develop, moving north along the coast of Mexico towards the USA

After a DeSantis aide told NBC on Monday that the Florida governor had decided not to answer the vice president's call, DeSantis later clarified that he didn't even know Harris was trying to contact him.

DeSantis also pushed back against Harris' claims that he was playing politics with the storm, accusing her of being the real culprit in political machinations.

“I worked on these hurricanes under both President Trump and President Biden. Neither has ever tried to politicize it. She's never brought up any of the storms that we've had since she's been vice president until apparently now,” DeSantis told “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning following reports of the vice president's criticism. “Why is she suddenly trying to parachute out and give herself an injection when she has never shown any interest in the past? We know it’s because of politics, we know it’s because of their campaign.”

“Harris isn’t even part of the chain of command. She has no role in this,” DeSantis added. “The idea that I should worry about her when I'm focused on the task at hand is frankly absurd.”

Biden cancels overseas trip as Milton hits Florida; DESANTIS TELLS VP: “IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU, KAMALA”

Biden, who has spoken to DeSantis several times by phone since Hurricane Helene began to hit the Southeast, urged him and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to “call him directly” if further assistance was needed. DeSantis, meanwhile, noted Tuesday morning that “every” one of his federal requests for more assistance had been answered.

DeSantis also noted that at the state level, he has reallocated resources as needed to help Florida's smaller communities that have fewer resources.

COASTAL FLORIDIAN warns others to 'get out' as Hurricane MILTON approaches: 'We have no idea what's coming'

Gov. DeSantis' office declined to comment on the record to Fox News Digital, but referred to the governor's comments on “Fox & Friends” and “Hannity,” respectively. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference from his home state following the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump's life, which took place at his Florida-based golf club, Mar-A-Lago.

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As Florida continues to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, it is now preparing for a potentially even worse storm in the form of Hurricane Milton and is urging millions of residents to evacuate.

“Helene was a wake-up call – that is catastrophic in the truest sense of the word,” Castor said Tuesday. “And I can say without any dramatization: If you choose to stay in one of these evacuation areas, you will die.”