‘They’re Going After Mickey Mouse’: Biden Quips About Republican Party Feud With Disney

In late March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a Bill that bans classroom instruction about the diversity of sexualities and genders which he says will protect children from “sexual instruction”. Disney responded by saying that the Bill “should never have been signed into law” and pledged to support its repeal.

US President Joe Biden has lashed out at the Republican Party, alluding to its ongoing feud with the Walt Disney Company over a controversial education Bill that restricts discussion of sexual orientation in the early years.

Speaking at a fundraiser in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, POTUS claimed that “this is not your father's Republican Party by any stretch of the imagination. This is the MAGA party”, in a nod to Donald Trump's Make America Great Again slogan.

“The far right has taken over that party. It's not even conservative in the traditional sense of 'conservative'. It's mean, it's ugly. I mean look what's happening down in Florida. Christ, they’re going after Mickey Mouse,” the US president added.

He spoke after the Republican-controlled Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a Bill, which would dissolve a special status granted to Disney that essentially allows the company autonomy on its large property near Orlando.

Disney controls about 25,000 acres of land around the Orlando area, providing its own road and sewer maintenance, as well as emergency services. In return, the company gets a break on tens of millions of dollars in taxes and avoids red tape by issuing its own building permits.

The Wednesday voting came in response to Disney’s persistent opposition to the so-called Parental Rights in Education law, which has been branded as the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill by critics. It prohibits classroom instruction on "sexual orientation or gender identity" from kindergarten through to third grade (about 8 years old), or "in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards”.

As part of Disney’s opposition to the Bill, the company pledged to stop donating to political campaigns in the state. In the 2020 election cycle, the entertainment giant donated $4.4 million to campaigns throughout the state, including $586,000 to Republican Senate campaigns and $50,000 to DeSantis.

Late last month, Disney issued a statement, pledging to do its best to repeal the Bill, shortly after the document was signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The company insisted that “Florida’s HB 1557, also known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill, should never have passed and should never have been signed into law”.

"Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organisations working to achieve that. We are dedicated to standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country,” the statement read.

The Bill has been furiously contested since it was introduced in January 2022, when it was bashed by President Biden's LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.