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Credit: Inside the MagicThe race for the 2024 presidential election just got even more Disney-fied thanks to a recent publicity stunt to endorse former President Trump for re-election.
The Walt Disney Company has been embroiled in political scandal since last year, when the company refused to announce its support for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Since then, DeSantis has seemingly had it out for the company, enacting a series of laws and changes in an effort to strip power from Walt Disney World. Not only has the Florida governor replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District with his own Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, but he’s also cracked down on LGBTQ+ and immigration laws throughout the state, hurting not only a large amount of Disney World Cast Members, but also the general Florida citizenship and tourism industry in the process.
DeSantis officially announced his bid for the 2024 Republican nomination earlier this year, going up against Trump, who is still aiming to run for re-election despite his ongoing indictment and investigation. Now, apparently, Mickey Mouse has thrown his support into the ring, backing Trump will the hope he will “Make Disney Great Again.”
Twitter account Patriot Takes (@patriottakes) reposted a video showing Mickey standing in front of a giant Trump-wrapped truck with Forgiato Blow next to him. Blow is an American rapper who’s been vocal about his support of former President Trump on his social media and in his music, and is where the video originates from. He’s also a self-proclaimed pioneer of “MAGA rap.”
“Patriots, what’s up? It’s Forgiato Blow,” the video starts. “I’ve got a special guest with me today,” he says before pointing at Mickey. “This is MAGA Mickey…we’re here to Make Disney Great Again! Trump 2024!” Mickey then cheers. “Protect the children. We’re standing up for the children, we’re keeping these sickos out of Disney and all these corporations like Target,” Blow states before saying they’ll be attending rallies across the country. The video ends with Mickey cheering “Trump 2024! Trump 2024!”
Meet “MAGA Mickey.” pic.twitter.com/DpmM3fg4K0
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) August 1, 2023
The comments under the video on the Patriot Takes account and the quote retweets are full of people tagging various official Disney accounts, calling for lawyers to investigate the blatant display of copyright infringement and trademark violation. “Why…why would you want to test Disney’s legal team? Of all legal teams?!?!” asked @StarWarsLawyer. “If the state of Florida couldnt take down Disney, this guy is going to get obliterated by Disney lawyers,” said @MicahSharon2013.
The Walt Disney Company is well known for being strict on copyright infringement and other issues that could potentially hurt their brand. They also sued DeSantis earlier this year in regard to the laws and sanctions clearly directly aimed at the company. Funnily enough, the comments under Blow’s own post with the video are full of people suggesting cities and states for him and MAGA Mickey to visit, apparently blissfully unaware of how strict Disney’s legal team can be.
Although former Disney CEO Bob Chapek and current CEO Bob Iger have both become highly unpopular with Disney fans, the Walt Disney Company has never taken a direct political stance, including supporting any given political figure. Using a highly protected character to endorse Trump, even using his actual name, Mickey, and mentioning Disney specifically could earn the rapper a lot of legal trouble.
What do you think about “MAGA Mickey?” Stay tuned for further developments on this story and more!