Disney World in Florida is suspending its political donations after the company’s CEO received huge blowback for not using Disney's vast influence in the state to try to quash a recently passed Republican bill that would prevent teachers from instructing early grades on LGBTQ issues.
Shortly after, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis accused the company of being friendly with communist China.
Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani tweeted screenshots from an email Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent to employees saying the company was wrong to stay silent on the issue before the Republican-dominated Legislature passed what opponents have dubbed the “Don't Say Gay” bill.
Chapek said the bill was a challenge to human rights and apologized. Meanwhile, DeSantis sent a campaign fundraising email that said, “Disney is in far too deep with the Communist Party of China and has lost any moral authority to tell you what to do.”
The governor's action stunned Republicans and Democrats. Disney is a tourist attraction that is a multi-billion dollar economic driver for the state. When people think of Florida, they think of oranges, beaches and Disney.
Disney has contributed huge amounts of money to Florida’s political parties and politicians, and has wielded incredible influence on the state's government.
“The weird hypocrisy of Florida politics right now is DeSantis has been happy to take Disney’s money, but to pass a bill that’s anathema to the values of their customers and their institution and to use the power of government to beat up on them — the old days of Florida Republicans being the free market party are well and truly past,” said Rick Wilson, a political operative who has supported Republicans in the past, but has spoken out against the culture war many Republicans are creating.
