Donald Trump Praises Ex-Disney Exec Who "Didn't Want Woke Donald Duck"

If there is one thing you can be certain of, it is that incoming President Donald Trump does not like The Walt Disney Company, ABC, Bob Iger, or anything related to the Mouse House. He has frequently gone after the company and, most recently, sued ABC News and legendary anchor George Stephanopoulos.

And, in a shocking move, Bob Iger made the decision to settle with Mr. Trump for $16 million — $15 million going to the fund for a Presidential Library and $1 million in legal fees.

Two men are pictured on either side of a red zigzag line resembling a tear or division. The man on the left, wearing a suit with a red tie, speaks at a podium during what seems to be a Presidential Debate, while the man on the right, also in a suit and tie, speaks in front of a blurred background. — Credit: Inside the Magic

Now, you might remember that earlier this year, Disney activist investor and billionaire Nelson Peltz attempted a hostile takeover, trying to get himself and at least one loyalist on Disney’s Board of Directors. While the fight got intense, Peltz wasn’t able to get nearly the number of votes he needed, and the threat he posed was defeated.

When he was fighting to gain control of Disney’s executive board, Mr. Peltz tried using tens of millions of his shares to sway other shareholders. Seventy-five percent of the shares Mr. Peltz tried using were owned by former Marvel executive Ike Perlmutter.

Ike Perlmutter had been an executive at Marvel since the early 1990s, long before the studio giant was purchased by Disney. When Disney purchased Marvel in 2009, he was serving as CEO. However, in 2015, he was no longer overseeing the studio, as Disney wanted Kevin Feige to report directly to Alan Horn, the Chair of Walt Disney Studios.

During his time at Marvel and Disney, Mr. Perlmutter was a very divisive figure. Kevin Feige found him particularly difficult to work with. Then, when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began attacking Disney, Mr. Perlmutter sided with the governor, as Mr. Perlmutter was an outspoken conservative Republican, who also supported Donald Trump.

Credit: Inside the Magic

And now, Donald Trump is praising Ike Perlmutter for “getting out” of Disney, because “they went woke.” Mr. Perlmutter staunchly objected to movies like Black Panther (2018) and Captain Marvel (2019) because he didn’t think black or female-led movies could be successful.

Mr. Trump made the comments during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.

“The guy went from stone-cold broke to owning Disney. Then he got out of Disney because they went woke. He didn’t want woke Donald Duck, right?”

What is interesting to note is that Mr. Perlmutter never “owned Disney,” and he didn’t walk away; he was terminated from the company in 2023.

Donald Trump wearing a black suit, white shirt, and red tie, is speaking into a microphone. His hands are raised, and his mouth is open in mid-speech. A crowd is visible in the background, along with a sign that partially reads "MAKE AMERICA," reminiscent of a scene from Captain America 4 within the MCU. — Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr

When Bob Iger returned as CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2022, he quickly announced that he needed to cut $5.5 billion from Disney’s floundering budget. 2023 saw several rounds of massive layoffs, with approximately 4,000 employees receiving their pink slips by April of that year.

Mr. Perlmutter was one of those people.

After Nelson Peltz lost his proxy fight in April 2024, Mr. Perlmutter officially severed all ties with Disney by selling all of his 25.6 million shares in the company.

What do you think of Donald Trump saying that Ike Perlmutter walked away from Disney when he was really laid off? Are you glad Mr. Perlmutter is no longer a part of Marvel Studios? Share your thoughts in the comments!