Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dismissed criticism from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley over his ongoing battle with Disney as the two 2024 Republican presidential candidates renewed their feud in an increasingly bruising primary.
Haley told CNN’s Jake Tapper during Sunday night’s town hall that she thought DeSantis was a hypocrite for accepting $50,000 in political contributions from Disney in the past, then going after the company when he disagreed with it.
“He went and put their executives and their lobbyists on prominent boards throughout Florida,” Haley said. “And he went and basically gave the highest corporate subsidies in Florida history to Disney. But because they went and criticized him, now he’s going to spend taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit. It’s just like all this vendetta stuff.”
Haley said that while she was governor of South Carolina, businesses “were my partners” and when she disagreed with them she would not speak out publicly about it but would try to deal with it on “the phone.”
Nikki Haley called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for what she characterized as wasting time and money on a personal "vendetta" against Disney. https://t.co/lv4nYyTZEU pic.twitter.com/ynurBy8rmI
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 5, 2023
DeSantis responded to Haley’s criticism during a Monday interview on Fox News Radio with host Brian Kilmeade.
“How utterly bizarre,” DeSantis said. “I mean, somebody does a campaign contribution and you’re supposed to lay down for them? That’s not how I operate. People can support me or not support me. I call them as I see them. And if you’ve supported me, but you’re wrong, I’m going to do what’s right.”
DeSantis also pushed back on Haley’s claim that he gave Disney subsidies, pointing out that the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special purpose zone that gives Disney governmental control over the land around its theme park has been in effect since 1967.
“Reedy Creek has been there for decades, you know that. That was there since the 1960s where they had their own government and had these massive subsidies,” he said. “Yes, we unwound that and we ended their self-governing status, but it wasn’t anything that I gave for them. But I do think it’s interesting, all these other Republicans have basically sided with Disney on this.”
DeSantis, who entered the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on May 24, trails former President Donald Trump in current polls, but is well ahead of Haley and other GOP contenders.
DeSantis, who has clashed with Disney over the entertainment juggernaut’s woke content and policies, including an embrace of radical race and transgender theories, said he is surprised that Haley and other Republicans seem to be siding with Disney and reflexively deferring to big businesses.
“At the end of the day, as the parent of three young kids, we are going to fight the sexualization of minors and children,” he said. “We are going to fight anybody that’s trying to rob them of their innocence. And we are not going to compromise. Whether that’s standing up to a big 800-pound gorilla like Disney or anybody else, we’re going to stand with the children.”