The sight of a Democratic president and Republican governor working together to help the residents of a critical battleground state that could determine the future of the country seemed almost as striking of an image as the damage left from Hurricane Ian.

President Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were cordial, if not stiff at times, as they met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon to tour the community ravaged by Ian last week. Biden shook hands briefly with DeSantis upon exiting his motorcade, along with Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis. First lady Jill Biden walked over wearing aviator shades matching the president’s.

DeSantis commiserated with residents about the destruction to Sanibel Island. Biden, just off to his side, took off his blazer and his sunglasses as he listened to Floridians. DeSantis praised Biden and the federal government, while Biden colloquially thanked the “gov” as he took the lectern after DeSantis spoke.

“This is about America coming together,” Biden said.

In the most highly charged political environment in recent memory, with criminal investigations swirling around the Jan. 6 insurrection, threats of violence against elected officials of all stripes and rampant misinformation clouding the national debate — the normalcy of the interaction was almost jarring.

“All of the speculation of whether or not they would meet was a colossal waste of time. Of course the incumbent president and the incumbent governor were going to meet at a time of emergency,” said veteran Republican strategist Doug Heye.

But even major national disasters have been infused with partisan fighting, dating back to then-President Barack Obama’s support a decade ago for Republican governors in Florida and New Jersey (which enraged conservative voters) and carrying through Trump’s time in office, as he threatened to withhold aid from Democratic-led states.

And the stakes heading into the 2024 election, with the potential that Biden and DeSantis could face each other, elevated the attention paid to what might have been considered a routine tour.

Even Trump, who inserted himself into the debate Wednesday during a speech in Miami, held his fire, saying of his potential 2024 rival DeSantis, “God bless our governor.”

Asked by pool reporter Francesca Chambers of USA Today why he set aside politics, Rep. Byron Donald, R-Fla., said the priority was “getting people back on their feet.”

“Because our area needs all the help it can get, so we’ll deal with the politics later,” Donald said. “The response has been good. Everybody has been all hands on deck, which is what we needed.”

Thumbnail credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

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