“I think it’s an opportunity to show executive leadership. I think the public has clear expectations of what leaders should do during a disaster. And it’s important that politicians meet those expectations,” said Republican strategist Alex Conant, addressing the governor’s handling of Hurricane Idalia.
“Look, I think when you have situations like this, you’ve got to put the interests of the people first,” he told reporters during a storm briefing. “I mean, there’s a time and a place to have political season. But then there’s a time and a place to say that this is something that’s life threatening, this is something that could potentially cost somebody their life, it could cost them their livelihood.
Asked at one point about Trump not having issued a statement on the storm before then, DeSantis dismissed the question. Tragedies and natural disasters have long served as important leadership tests, especially for governors., who is running against Trump and DeSantis for the Republican nomination, still faces questions over his response to Superstorm Sandy, when he praised and embraced Barack Obama in 2012 when the former president toured damage after the devastation.