DeSantis Refused Meeting With Disney Before Filing Lawsuit

During a recent Q&A, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked about the company’s ongoing battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. And some of the revelations have truly painted the Republican politician in a different light.

By now, anyone who follows Disney knows the details regarding the Disney-DeSantis feud. But if you don’t, here’s a recap: while Bob Chapek was still CEO, the Walt Disney Company released a statement against the colloquially named “Don’t Say Gay” bill (now law), Governor Ron DeSantis retaliated by transforming the Reedy Creek Improvement District into the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

What has since followed were additional sanctions and restrictions placed against Walt Disney World Resort. The Walt Disney Company has responded in kind with a lawsuit and canceled the Lake Nona construction project, potentially taking billions of dollars from the Sunshine State.

Related: DeSantis Declares Defeat For “Woke” Disney, “We Won the Battle!”

Despite this, DeSantis has continued to attack his state’s largest source of income as well as any other company or organization he determines to be “too woke.” In response, numerous Floridians and Republican colleagues, including Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, and former President Donald Trump, have commented on the stupidity of these moves.

While others have spoken out against DeSantis’ actions, Disney has remained relatively quiet, opting to let the legal system do the work for them. However, this changed today when Disney CEO Bob Iger finally commented on the Disney Vs. DeSantis war.

Bob Iger Says Disney V. DeSantis is About “Free Speech,” Not Revenge

During a Q&A at the DealBook conference on November 29, Bob Iger addressed one of the most prevalent topics regarding Disney at this moment: its feud with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

While avoiding his opinions on the Walt Disney Company’s actions before his return, CEO Bob Iger did reveal some thoughts regarding the lawsuit between Disney and Governor DeSantis. “The company, while I was gone, decided to take a position against the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that was moving through the Florida Legislature. I won’t comment about what I would have done or not done, but the company took that position against it.”

Iger continued, “The governor got very, very angry at the company when it took that position and decided to punish the company by basically stripping its rights to a special district around Disney World that had been in place for decades. The question wasn’t even about the [bill, later law]. It was about does a company have a right to free speech. And if it exercises its right to free speech, it should not face retribution.”

While this was a very neutral way to respond to the feud, something Iger has always excelled at, another revelation from the Disney CEO was much more surprising.

DeSantis Refused Meeting With Bob Iger

Related: Disney Hands Over Cash to Reelect DeSantis Foe

While everything that Bob Iger said was traditionally tame for the Disney CEO, he did share one interesting tidbit toward the end of the question, noting that he had actually attempted to reach out to Ron DeSantis and received a lackluster response.

“I offered, at some point through intermediaries, the ability to have a conversation with him,” said Iger. “He did not take me up on that offer.”

Related: Democratic Senator Seeks to Terminate DeSantis Board, Disney to Reclaim Governing District

While this response would be understandable if Iger had recently made the request, it can be assumed that this was early in the war between Ron DeSantis and Disney. Say what you want about Bob Iger, but he is usually a man who wants to get things done as quickly and painlessly as possible. It seems that DeSantis is not.

This raises many questions regarding the Florida Governor’s intentions. Based on this statement and Iger’s previous actions, he is more than willing to sit and work things out. However, DeSantis’ bluster and need to maintain an image of masculine strength prevented this from ever occurring, not to mention that this feud is the only thing the Presidential candidate has going for him.

Do you think DeSantis should have met with Bob Iger? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!