“We’re letting the nation know we can cooperate. When it’s really important … This is life and death.”
— President Biden sitting next to Gov. Ron DeSantis in Surfside, Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to Biden in Surfside, FL:
“You recognized the severity of this tragedy from day one, and you’ve been very supportive.”
Originally tweeted by The Recount (@therecount) on July 1, 2021.
Meanwhile:
Former President Donald Trump is rejecting pleas from Gov. Ron DeSantis to postpone his “Save America” rally scheduled to take place in Sarasota on Saturday, a report said.
According to the Washington Examiner, a conservative news website, DeSantis’ office “made a direct plea” to the former president’s team, calling on it to postpone the Saturday event in Sarasota due to the condo collapse in Surfside.
One unnamed Florida Republican said Trump and his team need to “read the room,” the report said.
An unnamed source said, ‘There’s a huge rift between the DeSantis and Trump [camps],’ and alleged it ties to tensions between the Florida governor and Trump’s post-president lead Susie Wiles, a former top Trump campaign official.
But Christina Pushaw, the governor’s press secretary, denied such claims and said DeSantis never called for the event to be canceled
Another anonymous operative said that this would only add fuel to the fire regarding Trump’s decision to keep the rally scheduled. ‘Because Ron DeSantis doesn’t want it, she’s gonna make sure it happens. The governor supports the president, but something awful just happened in his state.’
‘We can walk and chew gum at the same time. But right now, there’s a Kumbaya moment. People need this. We need everybody to come together, we need to see that to start healing this country. And we saw a little bit of that today for the first time in five years. Today was the first day that people were like, “Maybe there’s hope that our country can come back together again.” Only for, on Saturday, the former president tearing the Band-Aid off: He’s gonna go for the jugular.’
In promotions of the Trump event, the Republican Party of Florida urged attendees of the rally to donate to two local relief funds. And an unnamed source said that Trump could hold a moment of silence for the mourning Surfside community.
Liz Harrington, a spokeswoman for Trump, defended the rally and told the Washington Examiner that Trump spearheaded the fundraising push.
‘Like all Americans, President Trump sends his deepest condolences to those who’ve lost loved ones or been displaced by the terrible tragedy in Surfside. The event in Sarasota, however, is on the other side of the state, 3 1/2 hours away, approximately the same distance from Boston to New York, and will not impact any of the recovery efforts. In fact, President Trump has instructed his team to collect relief aid for Surfside families both online and on-site at the Sarasota rally.’
Aaaand scene:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has canceled his planned appearance at former President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July weekend rally in Sarasota, Politico reported.
Trump’s Save America rally is scheduled to take place at the Sarasota Fairgrounds Saturday. Doors open at 2 p.m. with the rally starting at 8 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m.