Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' ongoing dispute with the Walt Disney Company is handing one of the Republican's biggest rivals a major win as the company pushes forward with growing its theme parks in Anaheim, California.
Disney is pressing ahead with its Disneyland Forward program, which it projects will generate $253 million a year for the Anaheim economy and create 2,292 jobs in the state led by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom, a Democrat, has been critical of DeSantis and the Florida governor's dispute with Disney over LGBTQ+ rights in the Sunshine State as DeSantis mounts a bid to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Disney is investing in California. In May, the company canceled a $1 billion project that would have built a corporate campus in Orlando for 2,000 Disney employees. It also announced the closure of an immersive Star Wars-themed hotel in Orlando that was charging $2,500 a night.
In April, Disney filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Florida that accused DeSantis of trying to "weaponize government power" over the company by appointing a board that nullified agreements giving Disney control over expanding its resort in the state.
The lawsuit comes amid an ongoing feud with Disney, sparked when the company publicly opposed Florida's controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, nicknamed "Don't Say Gay," which restricts discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom. DeSantis signed the bill into law in March 2022.
Newsom has linked his state's approach to LGBTQ+ rights with Disney's investments in California.
"In California, we don't just tolerate our diversity, we celebrate it and all the ways it makes us stronger," the governor said in a statement celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride. "Our inclusivity and acceptance attract new talent and ideas that drive our economic growth and make California a hotspot for world-leading companies to grow and prosper."
Newsweek reached out to the DeSantis campaign and Newsom's office via email for comment.
Late last month, the Florida governor asked a federal judge to dismiss Disney's lawsuit and a decision is still pending.
DeSantis and Newsom have criticized each other publicly despite the fact Newsom has said there's no chance "on God's green earth" that he's running for the 2024 Democratic nomination against President Joe Biden. The California governor, however, is widely considered a future presidential contender.
"He's taking his eye off the ball," Newsom said of DeSantis in an interview last month. "And that's not inconsistent with my own assessment of him, which is he is a weak candidate, and he is undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump, and will soon be in third or fourth in national polls."
Former President Trump remains the leading contender for the GOP presidential nomination, while DeSantis is one of several other Republicans also seeking the nomination.
For his part, DeSantis has criticized both Newsom and the state of California. Speaking to Fox Business on Monday, the Republican dismissed Newsom's call to investigate migrant flights to California that were authorized by the state of Florida.
"I think it's just absurd," DeSantis said. "I mean California is a sanctuary state. They actually provide benefits for illegal aliens. And so they're serving really as a magnet for people to cross our border illegally."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
