Rep. Matt Gaetz recently questioned whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is truly committed to ending woke capitalism with his brawl against the Walt Disney Co.
On his “Firebrand” podcast last week, Gaetz, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, suggested DeSantis had shown a “willingness” to treat Disney a little differently than every other Florida corporation.
“The operative question in this whole saga between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Corporation is whether this is a true, sincere effort to crusade against corporate welfare or whether it’s just virtue signaling and professional wrestling,” said the Fort Walton Beach Republican.
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Gaetz began by rehashing the standoff between Disney and DeSantis over the state’s Parental Rights in Education law.
The law, passed last year, outlawed lesson plans in grades K-3 built on gender ideology and sexual orientation. Disney opposed the law, vowing to overturn it in court or get it repealed in the Legislature.
Instead, DeSantis and GOP lawmakers worked to strip Disney of its special home-rule district, which had managed its site for 55 years, and installed a new board appointed by the governor.
But Disney struck back. The board over the special tax district handed authority over the site to Disney, essentially neutering the new board. DeSantis and state lawmakers fought back, passing a law blocking Disney’s land-use authority.
Gaetz acknowledged Disney’s role in generating tourism dollars over the last half-century. He added that he is not among those who want an “adversarial” relationship with the entertainment giant forever.
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Gaetz then got to Disney’s recent lawsuit that argued the state’s action was simply “retaliation” for exercising its free speech rights.
The congressman maintained that DeSantis was “within his rights” to try to bring Disney into line. But there was a caveat.
Gaetz cited a recent interview GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy gave to NBC News. In the interview, Ramaswamy noted that a 2021 state law enacted by DeSantis that was intended to publish social media companies for discrimination against conservative politicians included an exemption for video streaming services that also operate a theme park in the state.
Ramaswamy judged DeSantis guilt of “crony capitalism.”
“Special carveouts for Disney are still happening today,” said Gaetz.
“DeSantis has not acted outside of his powers, but there still is a lot of special treatment that Disney is getting,” he added. “If Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to be the great white knight of the anti-Disney culture war, he should not swallow special carveouts.”
Gaetz continued his criticism of DeSantis on Monday.
In a message to his constituents, he noted, “While DeSantis has launched a campaign against crony capitalists, it’s important to note that Disney continues to receive special treatment in the form of tax breaks and last-minute legislative exemptions, authorized by no other than — Ron DeSantis.”
“I wonder if his criticisms of Disney are genuine attempts to combat corporate welfare or if they are part of his strategy to virtue signal his way into the hearts and minds of the American people.”
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