During a news conference about Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, President Joe Biden complimented Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling him “gracious” following a conversation the two men had as the Cat 5 storm began its path of devastation across Florida.

But a source told NBC News that when Biden was singing DeSantis’ praises, he was unaware that the governor was playing with people’s lives by engaging in vulgar, petty politics. He’d steadfastly refused to speak with Vice President Kamala Harris when she, in her current official role, attempted to contact him several times to help coordinate a federal response that would serve the people of his state.

The failed presidential candidate resorted to a predictable Trumpian rationale: he said he believed she was only reaching out in an attempt to “politicize the storm”– as if his decision to refuse her call wasn’t absolutely political. Plus, what would he have said if the Vice President of the United States–who is also the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate–hadn’t called?

One can speculate all one wants to about her motivation but the fact remains she was doing her job. He was not.

From NBC:

On Wednesday, Biden delivered a widely televised address warning the public about the potentially catastrophic impact of Hurricane Milton, which began ravaging Florida’s coastline Wednesday night.

A reporter then asked Biden whether DeSantis should be taking Harris’ phone calls. He praised DeSantis and dodged answering the question directly.

“All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Gov. DeSantis. He’s been very gracious,” Biden said. “He’s thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows what we’re doing. And I think that’s important.”

“He wasn’t tracking a specific back-and-forth,” the source told NBC, adding that Biden was “focused on the response itself.”