REUTERS/Cheney Orr/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden heads to Florida on Saturday to survey damage caused by Hurricane Idalia and comfort people affected by the storm, but he will not be meeting Ron DeSantis, the state's Republican governor and a potential presidential rival. DeSantis, 44, is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to oust Biden from the White House but trails former President Donald Trump in polls. Biden and DeSantis have spoken regularly through the week about the storm, which pummeled Florida's Big Bend region with Category 3 winds of nearly 125 mph (200 kph). DeSantis has been a sharp critic of Biden, and the two have clashed over COVID-19 vaccines, abortion and LGBT rights. DeSantis may not want to be photographed with Biden overlooking storm damage now as the Republican presidential primary race intensifies.

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Persons: Dennis Buckley’s, Cheney Orr, Joe Biden, Hurricane Idalia, Ron DeSantis, Biden, Jeremy Redfern, Donald Trump, DeSantis, pummeled, Jill, Emilie Simons, Chris Christie, Barack Obama, superstorm Sandy, Jeff Mason, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Republican, FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Former New Jersey, Democrat, Thomson Locations: Horseshoe Beach , Florida, U.S, Florida, Bend, COVID, Hurricane, Trump, Hawaii, Delaware