On Tuesday, President Joe Biden openly contradicted Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent criticisms of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The President’s comments came just hours after Harris went on ‘The View’ to slam DeSantis, accusing him of neglecting his responsibilities.

While Harris painted DeSantis as “utterly irresponsible” for allegedly avoiding her calls regarding hurricane assistance, Biden took a completely different approach, praising the Republican Florida governor. Speaking to reporters, Biden revealed that he had given DeSantis his personal cell phone number, adding, “He’s doing such a good job.” The open support for DeSantis directly countered Harris’s statements, marking yet another moment where Biden has seemingly upstaged his Vice President.

Harris, appearing on The View, accused DeSantis of “playing political games” and called him out for what she claimed was a lack of cooperation. “You know moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader steps up,” she said. Harris’s comments were aimed squarely at DeSantis, whom she claimed had not returned her calls or worked with her on disaster relief efforts.

However, DeSantis quickly shot back during an interview with Fox News, refuting Harris’s claims entirely. “She has not once called me for hurricane assistance in three and a half years,” DeSantis stated. He went on to criticize Harris for trying to inject herself into a situation where, he claims, she has no involvement. “I’ve dealt with a number of storms under this administration, and she’s never contributed anything to any of these efforts,” he explained. DeSantis further pointed out that his primary point of contact has always been President Biden. “I’m in contact with the President of the United States,” he said, dismissing Harris’s role in the process.

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Amid the verbal clash between his Vice President and the Florida governor, President Biden appeared to distance himself from Harris’s criticism. “The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he’s gotten all that he needs,” Biden told reporters, stressing that he had spoken with DeSantis personally and was satisfied with the response efforts. “I talked to him again yesterday. And I said, whatever you need, you’re doing a great job. It’s all being done well. We thank you for it. And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call.”

It’s not the first time the two have found themselves at odds in front of the cameras, but the President’s praise of DeSantis, in contrast to Harris’s critique, showed the growing divide between the two. On Friday Biden held an impromptu press conference just as Harris was taking the stage at a rally in Michigan. Harris began her speech at 2:04 PM EST, aiming to galvanize support in a key battleground state. But only two minutes later, Biden appeared at the White House briefing room—his first press conference there since taking office. Major networks quickly cut from Harris’ rally to cover Biden’s remarks, overshadowing her moment in the spotlight.

DeSantis didn’t hold back in his criticism of Harris, calling her comments “delusional” during his interview with Fox News. “She has no role in this. In fact, she’s been Vice President for three and a half years, and I’ve never seen her contribute to any of these efforts,” he said. “I think what’s selfish is her trying to blunder into this for her own political gain.” He added, “This isn’t about partisanship for me. My focus is solely on the people of Florida.”

As Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida’s west coast, re-strengthening to a Category 5 storm, tensions remain high between state and federal officials. Landfall is expected late Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane. Floridians are still recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Helene, making this latest storm even more critical.

While Harris continues to take shots at DeSantis, the Florida governor remains firm in his belief that the focus should be on assisting the people of Florida, not engaging in partisan battles. With Biden choosing to work closely with DeSantis rather than backing his Vice President’s criticism, the White House seems to be sending mixed signals at a crucial time.