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Credit: Inside the MagicFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his Republican presidential campaign on Sunday after a devastating loss in Iowa, immediately endorsing former President Donald Trump. While most of the credit for his loss goes to his opponent, Disney likely played a role in the end of the DeSantis White House bid.
The Walt Disney Company and DeSantis had a primarily neutral relationship until 2022. In fact, he married his wife, Casey DeSantis, at Walt Disney World Resort. That all changed when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek publicly denounced The Parental Rights in Education Act, popularly called the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
DeSantis reportedly warned the ousted executive not to get involved–and stood true to his word. Months later, the Florida legislature officially dissolved Walt Disney World Resort’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. DeSantis renamed it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and appointed board members to manage the area.
More than a year later, under returned CEO Bob Iger, Disney sued DeSantis and the state of Florida for allegedly retaliating against the company’s protected free speech. DeSantis countersued. Throughout 2023, representatives for both parties argued through the red tape of the court system. The legal battle is ongoing.
Though some former Disney fans took DeSantis’s side in the “Don’t Say Gay” battle, the Republican governor lost support among many. After all, The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest entertainment corporations in the world, with intellectual properties that are nostalgic for millions.
DeSantis’s Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board enacted rules that hurt Disney Springs business owners, angered emergency responders, and threatened increased taxes. His legal battle against Disney cost Florida taxpayers, angering locals and Disney Park fans nationwide.
Furthermore, Disney is the biggest employer in Florida, with more than 70,000 cast members. When Walt Disney Imagineering canceled a planned move to Lake Nona, DeSantis’s ship sank further. Later, Iger threatened to pull billions of dollars of planned future investments in Florida.
The House of Mouse didn’t put the final nail in DeSantis’s presidential coffin, but they definitely helped hammer it along the way.
Did The Walt Disney Company help crush the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.