Biden calls Vice President Harris 'President' after being interrupted twice during hurricane press conference

President Biden on Friday joked that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is his “boss” and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “the president” while giving an update on hurricane recovery efforts from the White House. I called.

Biden, sitting in the Roosevelt Room with Cabinet members including the secretary and vice president who joined by video conference, said his administration's priorities were to restore power and clear debris.

“My heart goes out to all the people who have lost their lives and are grieving the tornadoes, the ferocious winds, the record-breaking rains, the historic flooding, who have lost not just their personal property but their homes,” Biden said.

The president told reporters that he had spoken with dozens of officials in North Carolina, Florida and other states affected by hurricanes Helen and Milton over the past two weeks. Experts estimate Milton alone caused $50 billion in damage, Biden said.

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“We will do everything in our power to help you pick up the pieces and get you back on track,” he said.

North Carolina officials confirmed Friday that at least 92 people have died from Hurricane Helen's storms, but could not say how many were missing or missing. Officials in Florida have confirmed at least eight people have died after Hurricane Milton spawned at least four tornadoes and wreaked havoc in St. Lucie County, the Associated Press reported.

More than 3 million people in Florida remain without power, and countless homes have been damaged by flooding, high winds and fallen trees. Still, 50,000 power line workers sent in advance by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have already restored power to 1 million customers.

President Biden reiterated that the federal government, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps, and the Florida National Guard, is fully involved in rescue and recovery efforts. He also criticized “disgusting” claims circulating online that suggest the federal government's hurricane response is inadequate.

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President Biden was awkwardly interrupted Friday by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who urged Biden to throw to Harris, before calling Vice President Kamala Harris president again. (Fox News)

The 81-year-old president appeared to back away toward the end of his remarks. At that point, Granholm appeared to touch Biden on the arm and interrupt him, reminding him to hand the microphone to the vice president.

“I understand,” Biden said. “I'll go to the Vice President right away.”

President Biden joked Friday that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is his “boss.” (Fox News)

Then he glanced at the reporters in the room, grabbed his secretary's hand and joked, “She's my boss here.”

Harris then appeared to interject, to which Biden responded, “Wait a minute, Vice President.”

Before handing over the news conference to Harris, Biden said his administration would ask Congress for additional funding for recovery efforts.

DeSantis hits back at Harris over hurricane response: 'She has no role in this process'

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared virtually Friday as President Biden spoke about the federal response to Hurricanes Helen and Milton in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Aaron Schwartz/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“We're going to need a lot of support. We need a lot more funding,” he said. “So I'm just telling everyone right now that I don't want to hear that this is the end. So with this, I'm going to bow down to the president, the vice president,” he said.

Ms. Harris has clashed with Mr. DeSantis in recent days after the Republican governor failed to heed her calls on the hurricane response. He said Thursday that the vice president has “no role” in the process, adding that he never attempted to call him during past storms in Florida. .

“I'm working with the president of the United States. I'm working with the director of FEMA. We've been doing this nonstop for over two weeks,” DeSantis said Thursday.

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Speaking from a television screen, Harris noted that she had spoken with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about cracking down on what she called post-disaster price gouging, indicating that she was participating in cabinet discussions about recovery efforts. I tried.

“We continue to coordinate resources such as food, water, medical supplies and generators with local and state authorities, and we are working with teams on the ground to restore water and power as quickly as possible in the coming days and weeks. We will continue to work together,” Harris said.

“President Biden and I will make sure that communities on the ground and affected have the resources they need not only to respond to the storm, but also to recover. And we will continue to keep communities in Florida safe. “Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and the entire Southeast are recovering from Hurricane Helen.”

“The bottom line is we're in this for the long haul,” she said.

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.