Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he advised Disney‘s then-CEO Bob Chapek to remain out of a political battle over laws in his state limiting discussion of sex and gender in public schools, in response to the Republican’s forthcoming book.
Excerpts from “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival” were reported Monday by NBC News and other outlets on the identical day DeSantis signed a bill stripping Disney of the self-governing status it has long held within the state.
Within the book, DeSantis wrote that Chapek called him as Disney heard an outcry over the laws, which critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“We get pressured on a regular basis,” Chapek told DeSantis, in response to the excerpt. “But this time is different. I have never seen anything like this before.”
DeSantis wrote that he replied: “Don’t get entangled with this laws.”
“You’ll find yourself putting yourself in an untenable position,” DeSantis said. “People like me will say, ‘Gee, how come Disney has never said anything about China, where they make a fortune?'”
Disney didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
DeSantis’ book, set to be published Tuesday, is the newest indication that the high-profile Republican is gearing up for a 2024 presidential run.
DeSantis, who was easily reelected governor in November, has largely kept mum about his presidential ambitions. But polls nevertheless show him as a number one contender for the GOP nomination, rivaled only by former President Donald Trump.
The primary excerpts of DeSantis’ book show the governor presenting himself as an unwavering warrior against the media and company figures he identifies as being allied with, or cowed by, the political left.
“All too often, GOP governors have bowed to corporate pressure, especially on noneconomic issues; I used to be going to face firm in defense of the rights of fogeys and the well-being of our schoolchildren,” DeSantis wrote in a chapter titled, “The Magic Kingdom of Woke Corporatism.”
After he noted firstly of the chapter that he and his wife got married at Walt Disney World in Florida, DeSantis argued that the “Don’t Say Gay” label was “inaccurate” to explain a bill that merely contained “substantive protections for fogeys to object to the imposition of teaching of sexuality and gender ideology” in kindergarten-through-third-grade classrooms.
Critics have said the bill’s vague language, and the flexibility it provides parents to sue schools for violating it, may lead to the targeting and marginalization of LGBTQ teachers and youngsters.
President Joe Biden called the bill “hateful.” Similar federal laws introduced by House Republicans last yr is extremely unlikely to pass in the present Congress.
Chapek’s predecessor as CEO, Bob Iger, echoed Biden’s condemnation.
“I’m with the President on this! If passed, this bill will put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy,” Iger tweeted in February 2022.
Iger returned as Disney’s CEO following Chapek’s ouster in November.
DeSantis’ book suggested that Iger’s remarks put more pressure on Chapek, who “initially understood the chance that the corporate faced on this no-win dispute.”
DeSantis wrote that in his call with Chapek, he explained that Disney would face short-lived waves of shock before the “woke mob” would move on to other issues.
But Disney “ultimately caved to leftist media and activist pressure,” DeSantis wrote. “The left thought that Disney’s opposition would pressure me to veto the laws, but that was not going to occur.”
DeSantis signed the bill into law in March 2022. Disney quickly vowed to assist get it repealed.
Earlier Monday, DeSantis signed a bill giving the state latest power over the world that has long granted Disney special self-governance abilities.
“Allowing a company to manage its own government is bad policy, especially when the corporation makes decisions that impact a whole region,” DeSantis said in a press release touting the tip of the “corporate kingdom.”