WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden joked Saturday evening that Republicans angry with Disney will be “storming Cinderella’s castle.”
The president delivered remarks Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner in Washington, D.C., where he joked that “a lot of people say the Republican Party is becoming too extreme.”
“There’s nothing I can say about the GOP that Kevin McCarthy hasn’t already put on tape,” the president said, referring to reports that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) considered asking former President Donald Trump to resign following the January 6 Capitol riot.
“At the same time, a lot of people say the Republican Party is too extreme, too divisive, too controlled by one person,” he continued. “They say it’s not your father’s Republican Party.”
“Ronald Reagan said, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear this wall down! Today’s Republicans say, tear down Mickey Mouse’s house,’” the president joked. “And pretty soon they’ll be storming Cinderella’s castle, and you can be sure of it.”
WATCH:
President Biden: "Ronald Reagan said, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear this wall down! Today’s Republicans say, tear down Mickey Mouse's house! And pretty soon they’ll be storming Cinderella's castle, and you can be sure of it." pic.twitter.com/ajwVYmQ5Ga
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 1, 2022
Biden was most likely referring to outrage over Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, which bans classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation for small children.
The law has been wildly misrepresented as “Don’t Say Gay” legislation by critics who most notably have taken issue with HB 1557’s statement that “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Nowhere in the legislation is the word “gay” mentioned, though the word “parent” is mentioned 32 times, and the word “parental” is mentioned eight times. The legislation heavily focuses on parental notification and parental awareness of what children are being taught or exposed to in school.
Disney joined progressive activists in repeatedly condemning the legislation.
“Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that,” a Disney spokesman told The Daily Wire in March.
Shortly afterward, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo released several videos purportedly from a recent “all-hands” Zoom staff meeting in which a Disney executive producer discussed implementing her “not-at-all secret gay agenda” in a children’s show.
Many parents who spoke with The Daily Wire cited Disney’s increasingly woke stances as reasons why they are canceling Disney+ subscriptions and trips to Disney theme parks.
“Disney has been a part of our family,” one mother said. “This is a hard transition. It’s like giving up one of your favorite things, like giving up coffee. We enjoyed it, but we have to look at the big picture here.”
(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has announced plans for kids entertainment content.)