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Credit: WikimediaFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis has been abandoned by his biggest political donor, a billionaire who is publically calling his battles against the Walt Disney Company “pointless.”
That has to be a major blow to Governor DeSantis, who has been waging a war against Disney in the public eye since former CEO Bob Chapek came out against HB 1557, the Florida bill popularly known as the “Don’t Say Gay Law.”
According to Disney, the company’s statements in support of LGBTQIA+ rights triggered a wave of political vengeance from Governor DeSantis, particularly against the Walt Disney World park. In particular, DeSantis dissolved the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special area in which Walt Disney World is located and which has essentially been run by the company as the de facto government for years.
Related: DeSantis Board Isn’t “Defunding Police” in Disney World
In its place, DeSantis established the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and handpicked its board members, who swiftly began dismantling a number of benefits to the Walt Disney Company, Disney Cast Members, and the non-Disney residents of the district, who unexpectedly found themselves with an enormous tax bill formerly shouldered by the House of Mouse.
More on that board later, but DeSantis losing one of his key political and financial allies could not come at a worse time.
DeSantis, Disney & Ken Griffin
Ken Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel LLC, a multinational financial services company currently ranked as the single most successful hedge fund in history. Griffin is estimated to have a personal fortune of $35 billion and is one of the largest donors to conservative political causes in the United States.
As recently as 2021, Ken Griffin donated $5 million to a political action committee (or PAC) for Governor DeSantis’ successful election campaign.
However, the CEO mega-donor has announced that he will not back a Republican candidate in the upcoming Presidential election, in which Ron DeSantis is a major opponent of former President Donald Trump.
Griffin even said (per CNBC), “I’m still on the sidelines as to who to support in this election cycle…Look, if I had my dream, we’d have a great Republican candidate in the primary who was younger, of a different generation, with a different tone for America. And we’d have a younger person on the Democratic side in the primary, who would have his message for our country.”
The fact that Griffin would tacitly snub DeSantis, one of his previously noted political favorites, speaks volumes.
Even worse for Governor DeSantis, the mega-donor specifically cited his war with Disney as a reason, saying, “It’s not clear to me what voter base he is intending to appeal to…the ongoing battle with Disney, I think, is pointless, it doesn’t reflect well on the ethos of Florida.”
DeSantis and Walt Disney World
The Governor’s Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has been beset with troubles almost as quickly as it was formed. One board member was discovered to be violating conflict of interest state ethics laws by drawing a huge salary from the board, while another was found to have taught fake history about slavery in America.
Related: DeSantis Risks Disney Guest Safety, Goes Against CDC
Along with multiple lawsuits, hurricanes in his state, and being accused of letting a bear loose at Walt Disney World, things aren’t going well for Ron DeSantis.
Do you think DeSantis’ battle with Disney is pointless? Has the Governor already lost the war? Let us know in the comments below!