Both have publicly said that they’re closely aligned on policy, which could be problematic in and of itself as Harris brands herself a change candidate. Yet the two were at odds when it came to a high-profile Republican governor and sharing the spotlight.

Harris has accused Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) of being “selfish” for ignoring her phone calls amid preparations for Hurricane Milton. While DeSantis pushed back strongly, saying Harris had never called him about a storm before she ran for president, that she’s “not in the chain of command” for weather operations, and advising her to look in the mirror when making accusations of politicking.

That type of cross-party argument is expected in today’s political environment, but Harris’s claims have also been undermined by her boss. Biden spoke with DeSantis over the phone Monday night and praised the Florida governor afterward.

“The governor of Florida has been cooperative,” Biden said Tuesday. “He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday. And I said, ‘I know you’re doing a great job. It’s all being done well. We thank you for it.’ And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call.”

It wasn’t the only slight, real or perceived, Biden has made against his vice president in the last week. As Harris was campaigning in Michigan on Friday, Biden took the podium in the White House press briefing room for the first time in his presidency.

CNN was about to take Kamala Harris LIVE when all of a sudden Joe Biden simultaneously takes the podium from the White House:

“She’s trying to appeal to union workers, and yet you have the President of the United States come out, clearly overshadowing her…” pic.twitter.com/Z9M89bSh1u

— Jack Posobiec (@PosobiecJa76200) October 4, 2024

Biden did the same thing Tuesday, hosting a press briefing on hurricane preparations at the same time as another Harris rally.

The Washington Examiner has contacted the Harris and Trump campaigns seeking comment.

Substack writer Jordan Schachtel wrote that it was all part of Biden’s “revenge tour,” also mentioning that Biden briefly donned a Trump hat last month.

Jim Clark, a University of Central Florida history professor, agreed that Biden might be stepping on Harris’s toes, but for a less sinister reason.

“It is always difficult disappearing from the front page,” he said. “Ten months ago, Biden and DeSantis were front-page news, and reporters hung on their every word. DeSantis is already running for 2028 and wants to keep his name out there, and Biden is trying to stay relevant.”

He said he predicts the dispute will fizzle out quickly once Hurricane Milton dissipates.

Sasha Tirador, a Miami-based Democratic strategist, said DeSantis was definitely acting with an eye toward future elections.

“I am assuming that his closest advisers have told him, ‘Hey, look what happened to Chris Christie during Hurricane Sandy.’ He worked with President Obama during that hurricane in 2012, and that politically did not go well for Christie,” she said. “So instead of putting Floridians’ best interests first, DeSantis is doing the political dance.”

Harris has other headaches on the Biden front. Even while he contradicts her statements on DeSantis, Republicans are also highlighting the closeness between Biden and Harris as evidence that she can’t truly be a change candidate.

When Biden said last Friday that “we’re singing from the same song sheet. She helped pass all of the laws that are being employed now, she was a major player in everything we’ve done,” the Trump campaign joked that he’d just cut them a campaign ad.

New ad just dropped pic.twitter.com/7dWsOIus9c

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 4, 2024

Team Trump did the same thing when Harris said on The View that “there’s not a thing that comes to mind” that she would do differently than Biden. Harris added later that she would name a Republican to her Cabinet, something Biden has not done.

But Tirador said Harris could easily be a true change candidate even while aligning herself closely with her Democratic predecessor.

“She is the change candidate,” Tirador said. “She is going to be the first woman president, first woman of color. She is of a different generation than Biden and Trump. And I’m sure that on certain issues she may have a slightly different viewpoint, but we won’t know that until her administration takes off in January.”

Biden and Harris teamed up again Wednesday afternoon for a briefing with Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell. During the meeting, each slammed Trump for what they say is misinformation he’s spreading about hurricanes.

“For the last few weeks, there has been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” Biden said. “It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken. It’s harmful to those who need help the most. There’s simply no place for this to happen.”

Harris gave a similar message when she spoke after Biden and reiterated it later during phone interviews with CNN and The Weather Channel.

“It is dangerous. It is unconscionable, frankly, that anyone who would consider themselves a leader would mislead desperate people,” Harris said. “The gamesmanship has to stop at some point.”

But when Biden spoke again about hurricanes Wednesday evening, he backed DeSantis once again.

“All I can tell you is, I’m talking to Governor DeSantis,” Biden said when asked if DeSantis should take Harris’s calls. “He’s been very gracious. He’s thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows what we’re doing, and I think that’s important.