Ron DeSantis claimed that former Disney CEO Bob Chapek complained to him about the ‘pressure’ he was under from the left to wade in on the Governor’s new education bill in restricting gender identity lessons.
DeSantis revealed the details of his conversation with Chapek during the time issues around Florida‘s education law first began in early 2022 in a chapter of his new memoir, ‘The Courage to be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for American Revival’.
The chapter, which was shared with Fox News Digital, reads: ‘As the controversy over the Parental Rights in Education bill was coming to a head, Chapek called me. He did not want Disney to get involved, but he was getting a lot of pressure to weigh in against the bill.
‘We get pressured all the time,’ Chapek told DeSantis, according to the governor’s book. ‘But this time is different. I haven’t seen anything like this before.’
On March 9, the former Disney CEO reached out to the Florida governor to persuade him not to sign the education bill, incorrectly dubbed as the ‘Don’t say gay’ bill by its critics.
Ron DeSantis revealed the details of his conversation with Chapek during the time issues around Florida’s education law first began in early 2022 in a chapter of his new memoir
Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek claimed to have expressed his ‘concern’ about the legislation being passed
Chapek claimed to have expressed his ‘concern’ that if the legislation was to be passed, it ‘could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families’, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Whilst still working at Disney, Chapek claimed to have faced pressure within Disney and by the Democrats to take a stand, despite initially being reserved about involving his company.
However, DeSantis warned that Disney should have expected to face a two-day-long outrage once the bill passed if they decided to stay out of the Florida politics.
He wrote that Chapek and Disney ‘ultimately caved to leftist media and activist pressure and pressed the false narrative against the bill.’
Formally known as the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill, it states that ‘classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through [third grade]’.
As a part of the legislation, public school teachers are not allowed to ‘encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels’
The bill was passed by Florida’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives on 24 February and the state Senate on 8 March – it is set to come into effect from 1 July, with all school district plans required to be updated by June 2023.
It was reported that Disney had been pushing ideals that were slammed by conservatives, such as enforcing gender and sexuality messages in films and television programmes.
Amid the dispute between DeSantis and Chapek, a new bill would put a state-run board in charge of governance of Reedy Creek – which Disney have been responsible for since 1967
In the revealed chapter DeSantis wrote that whilst Disney had a right to engage in righteous activism, Florida had no place in idolizing the company in doing so.
He argued that this was especially true ‘when the company’s activism impacted the rights of parents and the well-being of children.’
Additionally, the Florida governor wrote how he was was shocked to discover left-wing voices siding with a such a giant corporation.
In the next weeks, Florida lawmakers are to meet next week as they decide on whether Disney World’s self-governing power should be replaced with a state-run board under radical plans backed by DeSantis.
The session will focus on whether to reverse the previous decision to dissolve the district and Disney’s special governing privileges, which it has held for 55 years.
Since 1967, Disney has been responsible for the governance of an area known as Reedy Creek. Critics of the company claim the arrangement gives the firm special legal and tax privileges.
Therefore, the plan to install a state-run board could force Disney to pay the debt, it is claimed.
DeSantis launched the effort to upend Disney’s self-governing powers following Chapek’s condemning of Florida’s Rights in Education Bill
Last week, DeSantis visited Staten Island for breakfast with law enforcement while kicking off his ‘Law and Order’ tour.
The Florida governor’s swing through the northeast is has fueled speculation that he is drawing closer to announcing a bid for president in 2024.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis kicked off his multi-city ‘Law and Order’ tour with a stop in Staten Island, New York on Monday, February 20, 2023
The tour is fueling the speculation that DeSantis will soon launch a presidential GOP primary bid against former President Donald Trump in 2024
The visit coincided with the President’s Day holiday and as former President Donald Trump continues to launch attacks against DeSantis, who is quickly emerging as the most likely to be able to take down the former president in a primary.
However, DeSantis has currently remained relatively quiet on the presidential ambitions front, saying at a press conference this month ‘wouldn’t you like to know?’ when a reporter asked if he would enter the running now that former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced her bid.
As of now, both Trump and his former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley are the only two major Republicans to launch an official bid for the White House in 2024.
But at least a few dozen others are considering or rumored to be weighing a run, including former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.
