For more than a year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been going after The Walt Disney Company with everything he has. The governor’s attacks began after ex-Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill. Advocacy groups said that the bill was an attack on LGBTQ+ rights. Chapek said that Disney would fight to see the bill defeated. Since then, DeSantis and the Florida legislature have passed several laws targeting Disney, and are constantly attacking the company for being “woke.”
DeSantis is not the only Republican who has accused Disney of being “woke”. Unfortunately, that “woke” belief has gained a large following with white supremacists. Some of those white supremacists recently decided to make their voices heard outside of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. On June 10, State Representative Anna V. Eskamani drove by Disney World and saw the group. They were waving Nazi swastika flags and signs that read “DeSantis 2024.” DeSantis announced that he was running for President of the United States in late May.
Nazis outside of Walt Disney World right now — absolutely disgusting. pic.twitter.com/WeXtRi3OSL
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, PhD 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) June 10, 2023
It has been days since the Nazis stood outside The Most Magical Place on Earth, and the governor has not said one word about them. DeSantis has tweeted several times since the incident, but it has only been to promote himself. While DeSantis might be hoping that people wouldn’t notice, he was not that lucky.
On Sunday, June 11, the annual Tony Awards took place. During the show, Broadway star Denée Benton took to the stage. During her speech, which was shared by The Hollywood Reporter, the Tony Award presenter mentioned Governor DeSantis. However, instead of calling him by his name, Benton called him the “Grand Wizard.” The term “Grand Wizard” is used to describe those who lead the hate group, the Ku Klux Klan.
Denée Benton calls Governor Ron DeSantis the “current grand wizard” of Florida at the #TonyAwards
Denée Benton calls Governor Ron DeSantis the "current grand wizard" of Florida at the #TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/O2iEfbOvQO
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 12, 2023
Since almost the beginning of his campaign against Disney, Governor DeSantis has been facing a ton of backlash. Disney is one of the largest private employers in the state and pays millions in taxes every single year. The fight with DeSantis has caused Disney to end a $1 billion project in Lake Nona, Florida. That will cost the state millions in taxes and thousands of jobs.
Disney is currently suing DeSantis for violating the company’s First Amendment Rights. The governor has admitted that he did not start thinking about going after Disney until after they spoke out against the Parental Rights Bill. The lawsuit has also already cost Florida taxpayers more than $6 million.
