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Author Stephen King has laid into Florida governor Ron DeSantis for his response to Hurricane Milton, as the huge storm batters the US state, already causing “multiple deaths”.
Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key, bringing multiple tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge.
Evacuation alerts were blasted out to millions, with Bradenton Police Chief Melanie issuing a bleak prognosis for those who neglected advice.
Governor DeSantis is currently facing criticism for his handling of the natural disaster, amid reports that he refused to take a call from vice president Kamala Harris about disaster recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“Kamala was trying to reach out, and we didn’t answer,” a DeSantis aide told NBC News, adding that the calls “seemed political”.
In response, presidential candidate Harris said that DeSantis was “utterly irresponsible” and “selfish” and that in “moments of crisis, if nothing else, should really be the moment that anyone who calls themselves a leader says, I’m going to put politics aside and put the people first.”
King has now echoed the words of Harris, likening the 46-year-old Republican to a sulking teenager who has been rejected by a girl.
The Shining and Pet Semetary writer, said on X/Twitter: “Ron DeSantis’s decision not to take the vice president’s call ahead of Hurricane Milton was like a sulky teenager refusing to talk to a girl who won’t date him. Childish. And dangerous.”
This is one of a number of recent outbursts from King who has recently criticised both Elon Musk and Donald Trump and offered a blunt reaction to several of his books being banned in Florida.
DeSantis has since accused Harris of politicising his response to the hurricane.
“We’ve been on emergency footing around the clock, two weeks straight,” DeSantis told Fox News on Tuesday. “That’s been my sole focus. My focus has not been on dealing with Kamala Harris. I saw the news report. I didn’t know she tried to contact me. It’s not about you, Kamala. It’s about the people of Florida.”
The governor then alleged that Harris never took an interest in Florida’s hurricane response until she began running for president.
“Why all of sudden is she trying to parachute in and inject herself when she’s never shown any interest in the past?” DeSantis said, adding, “I have zero time to entertain these political games.”
