Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken his war against Disney way too far, wrote columnist Eugene Robinson for The Washington Post on Thursday — to the point where even former President Donald Trump is looking like the adult in the room.
"Is there something wrong with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis? What kind of politician declares war against Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell? Does he have some sort of problem with impulse control?" wrote Robinson. "I mean, seriously, what kind of governor threatens the revenue of a company that is his state’s biggest private employer, No. 1 corporate taxpayer and most popular tourist attraction? For that matter, what kind of self-proclaimed conservative Republican believes a governor has the right to punish a corporation for publicly disagreeing with his policies?"
The whole episode, wrote Robinson, is beginning to look not just "petty and ill-advised" but also "obsessive and weird."
The conflict began after Disney issued a statement criticizing DeSantis' so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill — which all but eliminates even the mention of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools, and is so extreme one school even took down rainbows in classrooms as a precaution. DeSantis responded by signing legislation that lets him take over the board that manages the special taxing district for the Walt Disney World resort complex. Disney responded by signing a deal with that board just before its members were replaced, giving it control over most of the board's responsibilities. Enraged, DeSantis responded with threats to raise taxes on Disney, toll the roads into the area, or even build a state prison next to the site. All this over a company that has actually given large amounts to Florida Republicans over the years.
"The more he persists, the more attention he draws away from the shiny object he wanted to show off to the MAGA crowd — the anti-gay education bill — and puts the spotlight, instead, on his own Ahab-like pursuit of the Little Mermaid," wrote Robinson. "All in all, it has not been a good week for DeSantis. He came to Washington on what was billed as a charm offensive. But he was strikingly charmless, and he failed to stop the drip-drip-drip of Republican members of Congress from his home state — nine as of Thursday — who have endorsed Trump for the 2024 nomination. So far, just one member of the Florida delegation has announced support for DeSantis."
This comes as Trump himself weighs in on the dispute, seeming to urge Disney to fight back against the attack on their business.
"'This is all so unnecessary, a political STUNT!' Trump posted Tuesday about DeSantis’s fight with Disney," concluded Robinson. "So between the two of them, Trump sounds more reasonable? Good Lord."
