Tampa mayor gets Biden phone call live during press conference: ‘I got a call from the president’

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor answered a phone call from President Biden on Tuesday during a press conference about preparations for Hurricane Ian.

While speaking to the public ahead of the incoming hurricane, Castor pulled out her smartphone.

“Don’t be out there on the roads driving around, there’s going to be downed trees,” Castor was telling the media when her phone began to buzz. “But more importantly, there’s going to be downed electric lines, and that is more dangerous after the storm than it is…”

The mayor trailed off before excusing herself, saying, “I think I got a call from the president.”

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Castor later added that the President Biden was calling to wish the city well and make sure that all necessary resources were accounted for.

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“He just wanted to ensure that we had all the resources we needed, and clearly just wishing us the best,” Castor told reporters after returning to the news conference.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor departed a press conference Tuesday after receiving a phone call from President Biden.
(Fox 13 Tampa Bay WTVT)

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Ian continues to make its way toward the western coast of Florida, with millions of residents under evacuation warnings.

Images showed traffic lines and gas station pumps almost completely out of gas. Some store shelves were empty as residents raced to pick up food and supplies.

In this aerial image, the city of Tampa, Fla., is seen Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, as Hurricane Ian barreled toward Florida’s west coast. 
(DroneBase via AP)

The Category 3 storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday night. The National Hurricane Center said Ian was growing stronger the in southeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano, Anders Hagstrom and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.