Biden is meeting with DeSantis during a trip to Florida to survey the damage from Hurricane Ian

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is among the people President Biden is meeting with during his trip to Florida to survey the damage and relief efforts after Hurricane Ian.

The president and first lady Jill Biden landed in Fort Myers, Florida, early Wednesday afternoon and immediately took an aerial tour to get a better look at the landscape. The Bidens were greeted by DeSantis and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis before a storm response briefing.

More than 100 people were reported dead in Florida and North Carolina Ian hit the west coast of Florida last week and traveled inland and north, according to CBS News estimates. White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that the president and first lady would “reaffirm” the president’s commitment to Florida.

“The President will meet with small business owners and local residents affected by Hurricane Ian and thank federal, state and local officials who are working around the clock to provide relief, restore power, distribute food and water, remove debris and begin recovery efforts “, Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “Governor DeSantis, FEMA Administrator Dina Criswell and other state and local officials will also provide the president with an operational briefing on ongoing response and recovery efforts.”

On Thursday, Mr. Biden said he had already spoken with DeSantis several times about the massive storm and dismissed any suggestion that their political differences would affect their cooperation in helping the people of Florida. Mr. Biden said DeSantis praised him for the federal response to the storm.

“This is not about our political differences,” Biden said Thursday. “We are talking about saving people’s lives, houses, businesses. That’s about it. And so, I was – I talked to him four, five times already. And it’s not about my disagreements with him on other subjects.”

President and First Lady Jill Biden on Monday visited Puerto Ricowhich is still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona last month and recovering from Hurricane Maria in 2017.

“You’ve had to endure so much and more than you should, and you didn’t get timely help,” Mr. Biden complained in a speech on Monday. “And this last storm dealt a major blow to everything, all the hard work that was done after Maria.”