Could Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ war on Disney be bad for business in the Sunshine State? Florida Senator Marco Rubio seems to believe so, and expressed his concerns during an interview with Fox & Friends on Thursday morning.
“Real quick on the DeSantis Disney battle. I know that former Governor Rick Scott, former Governor Jeb Bush, don’t think we’re at Ron DeSantis should be taking on Disney. Where does Marco Rubio stand?” asked Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade.
Rubio replied, “Well, I don’t have a problem with taking on Disney. I think the fundamental question here is if what we’re trying to fix is the fact that Disney had some arrangement that gave them governmental-type powers, I think that’s a perfectly legitimate thing.”
He explained, “I think where it gets problematic in the eyes of some people is when you start creating the idea and I’m not saying we’re there yet as a state, but the idea that somehow, like if you run crossways with us politically, whoever’s in charge, then, you know, you may wind up in the crosshairs of the legislature for political purposes to make a statement at you.”
“So I don’t think Disney is going to go anywhere. They’ve invested a lot of money and time, and I think that’s going to find itself,” the senator argued. “I do worry that if this happens too many times, businesses that are thinking about coming to Florida are saying maybe we don’t want to go there, because if we get into a firestorm with them politically, they’re going to come after our business.”
Disney officially sued DeSantis and other state officials in federal court on Wednesday, claiming that the governor has engaged in “a targeted campaign of government retaliation.”
“Again, a hypothetical issue, but I do think Disney is not different than any other company, any other company in the world. And I don’t know why they should have government powers. That’s something that was given to them a long time ago, and that’s up for review every year that the legislature looks at,” Rubio said.
“I’d just love for the corporations just to stay out of this. They had no business weighing in on any type of bill,” Kilmeade noted.
“Well, just ask Budweiser,” Rubio said in agreement, referencing the Bud Light boycott over their recent partnership with transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney.
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