Trump Claims DeSantis’ Disney Row Was a ‘Hoax’
The former president said his rival was merely trying to come across as “Mr. Tough Guy.”

Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Ron DeSantis’ battle with Disney over the company’s opposition to his “Don’t Say Gay” bill apparently ended last month with the Florida governor signing a law that he claimed ended Disney’s self-governing district in his state. But Donald Trump on Sunday instead floated the theory that the whole row was concocted by Disney and DeSantis—a likely rival in the 2024 presidential race—in order to make the governor look good. “Ron DeSanctimonious totally caved in his public relations inspired battle with Disney,” the former president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “That’s the only reason he went after them in the first place, to show Mr. Tough Guy. Disney maintained complete exemption from property & sales tax, tax-free bonds, and their incredible fast track permitting. They also gave big political contributions to DeSanctus. The whole thing is a Hoax - They probably worked together to make him look like a fighter.” Trump also encouraged followers to read “preeminent authority on Disney” Richard Foglesong, who told the Financial Times earlier this month that DeSantis’ new legislation “didn’t really end Disney’s special advantages” but added that DeSantis’ appointees to the board overseeing Disney pose “a threat to Disney’s business interests.”
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