Haley slams DeSantis for his handling of Disney
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over his handling of Disney, saying it shows he has “thin skin.”
“Keep in mind DeSantis took $50,000 worth of contributions from Disney prior to this,” Haley said on the “America 180 with David Brody” podcast.
“He took their executives and lobbyists and put them on prominent state boards,” she added. “He passed the largest corporate subsidies in Florida history for Disney and Florida right before this, so suddenly they criticize you and you’re gonna have thin skin and do a lawsuit that costs taxpayer dollars.”
Haley, who served as the ambassador to the United Nations under former President Donald Trump, also explained on the podcast that Florida’s bill to ban the teaching of gender from certain grades did not go “far enough.” She then called on DeSantis to work out the issues with Disney so Florida’s businesses can return to normal operations.
“As a governor talking to another governor who has dealt with work with companies in her state, pick up the phone, meet with the executives and get back to the normal life of business for Florida,” Haley said. “Because at the end of the day, businesses are our partners.”
“We need them because they employ a lot of people, and they take care of a lot of families,” she added. “They bring a lot of revenue to the state.”
Feud started over 'Don't Say Gay' bill
DeSantis’s ongoing feud with Disney started last year after the company criticized Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which banned the teaching of gender and sexual orientation in early grades. DeSantis then stripped Disney of its special status the company had since the 1960s, which gave it self-governing power over the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
The Florida governor later approved replacing the Reedy Creek Improvement District with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which is a DeSantis-appointed board created to oversee Disney. However, Disney had previously signed an agreement before the new board took over that gave it developmental authority over its district, which was then voided by the new board, leading to a lawsuit filed by Disney last month.
Haley — who is not the only GOP hopeful to criticize DeSantis’s handling of Disney, with Republican presidential candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy both taking swipes at the Florida governor last month — said last month her home state of South Carolina would welcome Disney in the wake of its lawsuit against DeSantis.
“Hey @Disney, my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida,” Haley tweeted. “We’ve got great weather, great people, and it’s always a great day in South Carolina!”
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