Florida Governor Ron DeSantis bucked an offer from President Joe Biden this week to meet in Florida following Hurricane Idalia because the security protections that Biden would require would shut down recovery efforts.

Biden told CNN on Friday that he had plans to meet with the governor during his trip to the state over the weekend.

However, DeSantis’ office said that won’t be happening because the governor is focused solely on recovery efforts.

“We don’t have any plans for the Governor to meet with the President tomorrow,” DeSantis Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern said in a statement. “In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.”

Earlier in the week, Biden said that in his talks with DeSantis about the hurricane, there was never any mention of politics.

“Governor DeSantis is also running for president. You are running for re-election,” a reporter said. “Did you sense any politics in your conversations with him about [Hurricane Idalia]?”

“No, believe it or not. I know it sounds strange, especially how the nature of politics today,” Biden responded. “But I was down there in the last major storm, I spent a lot of time with him walking from community to community making sure he had what he needed to get it done.”

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“I think he trusts my judgement and my desire to help and I trust him to be able to suggest what he needs, that this is not about politics, this is about taking care of the people of the state,” he added.

People’s lives are at stake yet corporate media continues to try to create clickbait headlines. Gross.

"Gov. DeSantis is also running for president…Do you sense any politics in your conversations with him about [Hurricane Idalia]?" pic.twitter.com/MLwDOqWmaN

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) August 30, 2023

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week that “virtually all Democrats” want President Joe Biden to prove his “mental acuity” on the debate stage.

RFK made the remarks during a Wednesday interview on CNBC’s “Last Call” with Brian Sullivan.

“Make the case to the DNC for having a debate, one debate, between you, any other candidate, and President Biden in front of the American people to maybe assuage some concerns,” Sullivan said.

“I think that’s the point, there are a lot of misgivings among the vast majority of voters, Republicans and Democrats, about the president’s capacity and mental acuity,” he said, later adding: “I think it is important for the president to have a debate, to show that he has the vigor, the mental acuity, and to put those misgivings aside for the American people.”

“Not only a debate, but have unscripted conversations with voters and do some retail politics,” he continued. “If he is going to have to debate President Trump, or whoever the Republican is, at some point — to say that he should sit on the couch — it’s like telling a prizefighter you’re going to prepare for the prize fight championship by sitting on a couch eating Chick-Fil-A. You need to be practicing and you need to be getting on your feet and making sure.”

RFK said that his campaign keeps pushing Biden to debate.

“The American people, even Democrats who don’t like me, particularly because they’ve been misled about what I believe, virtually all Democrats want to see a debate,” he added.

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WATCH:

TRANSCRIPT:

BRIAN SULLIVAN, CNBC: Make the case to the DNC for having a debate, one debate, between you, any other candidate, and President Biden in front of the American people to maybe assuage some concerns.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: I think that’s the point, there are a lot of misgivings among the vast majority of voters, Republicans and Democrats, about the president’s capacity and mental acuity.

…

I think it is important for the president to have a debate, to show that he has the vigor, the mental acuity, and to put those misgivings aside for the American people. Not only a debate, but have unscripted conversations with voters and do some retail politics. If he is going to have to debate President Trump, or whoever the Republican is, at some point — to say that he should sit on the couch — it’s like telling a prizefighter you’re going to prepare for the prize fight championship by sitting on a couch eating Chik-fil-a. You need to be practicing and you need to be getting on your feet and making sure.

SULLIVAN: Are you talking to him about getting one? Is there any chance there will be a debate?

KENNEDY: Well, we’re asking him. The American people, even Democrats who don’t like me, particularly because they’ve been misled about what I believe, virtually all Democrats want to see a debate.