Ron DeSantis Changes His Tone on Disney

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claimed that he has moved on from the feud with the Walt Disney Company that resulted in an ongoing lawsuit against his government.

The prolonged conflict between DeSantis and Disney began in 2022, when the entertainment giant spoke out against the state's Parental Rights in Education Act, better known colloquially as the "Don't Say Gay Bill," which strictly limited the ability for teachers to discuss gender and sexuality issues in public schools. The governor pushed back against the company, pushing for legislation that ultimately dissolved the special jurisdiction that had allowed Disney a special level of self-governance around its popular Walt Disney World theme park.

Over the course of the feud, Disney managed to enact a special declaration that allowed them to retain development rights within the special governance region and filed a lawsuit against the DeSantis administration alleging that the company had been targeted with political retribution for exercising its First Amendment rights. While the administration has fought to push back against these maneuvers, many have argued that they have damaged DeSantis's credibility as a leader, with former RNC Chair Michael Steele saying, "When you lose a battle against Mickey Mouse, it's kind of hard to take you seriously."

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to guests at the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner on July 28, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. Thirteen Republican presidential candidates were scheduled to speak at the event. Scott Olson/Getty

During a Monday interview with CNBC, DeSantis, who is currently seeking the GOP nomination for president in 2024, both stood by his government's efforts targeting Disney and claimed that he and his allies had "basically moved on" from the feud. He argued that Disney is "going to lose that lawsuit" and urged CEO Bob Iger to drop it, citing the business that other parks are able to do in Florida without a special governance zone.

"This is a great place to do business," DeSantis said. "Your competitors all do very well here, Universal, SeaWorld. They have not had the same special privileges as you had. So all we want to do is treat everybody the same, and let's move forward. I'm totally fine with that. But I'm not fine with giving extraordinary privileges, you know, to one special company at the exclusion of everybody else.

"I would just say, go back to what you did well. I think it's going to be the right business decision, and all that."

Newsweek reached out to Disney via email for comment.

Despite his claims to have "moved on" from the feud, DeSantis has frequently cited his conflict with Disney during his presidential campaign, at one point accusing the company of sexualizing children. Iger, speaking with CNBC in July, dismissed that accusation in strong terms.

"The last thing that I want for the company is for the company to be drawn into any culture wars," Iger said. "We are a preeminent entertainer in the world, and we're proud of our track record there. The notion that Disney is in any way sexualizing children, quite frankly, is preposterous and inaccurate."

Iger also defended his company's lawsuit against the Florida government, arguing that Disney "was within its right" to speak out against the Don't Say Gay Bill, and said that DeSantis's reaction "was not something that we could sit back and tolerate."