DeSantis says ‘zero’ chance he will back down from dispute with Disney

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday there is “zero” chance he will back down from his dispute with Disney, even as some fellow Republicans urge caution.

“[Disney] can do whatever they want,” DeSantis said during a stop at a diner in Manchester, N.H. “I know people try to chirp and say this or that, but the chance of us backing down from that is zero.”

DeSantis’s remarks came on the heels of a meeting with New Hampshire state lawmakers Friday, and he is reportedly preparing to launch his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination next week.

The governor has sought to wrestle away Disney’s special self-governing status since the company criticized his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law last year. 

The law prohibited classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for kindergarten through third grade, which has since been expanded to cover prekindergarten through eighth grade. 

“They want to have their own government in Disney,” DeSantis said on Friday. “They’ve had their own government for 50 years. It’s massive corporate welfare. We’re not doing that.”

“They’re gonna live under the same laws as everybody else, they’re gonna pay their fair share of taxes and they’re not gonna govern themselves,” he continued. “And to put one corporation on a pedestal and let them be exempt from the laws is not good policy. It’s not free market economics, and it’s not something that our state’s gonna be involved in.”

Disney sued DeSantis last month, alleging the state is harming the company’s business operations. The company also recently announced it is scrapping plans for a billion-dollar office complex in Florida.

Several Republicans in the state have appeared wary of DeSantis’s feud with Disney. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R), who is also considering a 2024 White House run, accused DeSantis on Thursday of costing the state jobs and investments over his “personal vendetta.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) argued Wednesday that “cooler heads have to prevail” in the dispute.

“I think we’ve got to figure out a way forward here to bring everybody back to the table,” Scott said in an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill.” “So we can continue to grow tourism, grow jobs, you know, give opportunities for people.”