Donald Duck Has Entered the Republican Presidential Race

In 1928, the world was first introduced to Walt Disney’s animated anthropomorphic mouse, Mickey, in the short film, Steamboat Willie. That film, and Mickey Mouse himself, would go on to change everything. Since then, The Walt Disney Company has created hundreds of unique characters. But some of the most popular ones are also the most classic.

Sic years after Mickey Mouse was first introduced, Walt Disney introduced fans to another iconic character, Donald Duck. Since his inception, Donald has always been shown as a white duck in a sailor hat and sailor shirt. Then, in 1941, Donald was officially drafted into the army. This was done as Walt Disney helped the US government create propaganda videos.

Finally, on his 50th birthday in 1984, Donald was promoted to sergeant and received his discharge papers from the US military.

It’s been almost 40 years since Donald left the military, but now he has found himself at the front and center of US politics.

The presidential election will not happen until November 2024, but potential contenders are already debating and trying to convince the country to vote for them. It is widely expected for Joe Biden to be the Democratic nominee, but the Republican nominee is still up in the air. And several people are vying for their chance to have their name on the ballot.

Related: VIDEO: Donald Duck Gets Surprise Award!

There have been two Republican Presidential debates so far, with several names popping to the top. The main contenders in the race appear to be former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Former Vice President Mike Pence and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are always working to claw their way up in the polls.

During the second Republican debate, Chris Christie chose to attack the former president, who did not attend the first or second debate. And he did so in a unique way. He decided to give Donald Trump a nickname — Donald Duck.

“No one up here is gonna call you Donald Trump anymore. We’re gonna call you Donald Duck.”

That same day, he doubled down on his nickname for the former President, sharing a GIF of the popular Disney character. He even tagged Donald Trump in the post.

.@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/gWP7Z7bcGK

— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) September 28, 2023

In response to Christie’s jab, Donald Trump released the following statement to Fox News.

“Anybody that would come up with that nickname shouldn’t be running for president.”

Republicans and Disney

This is not the first time that Disney has made its way into the Republican race. In fact, it has been a large part of politics for nearly a year.

Related: What Happens to Disney if DeSantis Becomes President?

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who is one of the top Republican contenders — has been in a fight with the Mouse House for more than a year. Things have gotten so contentious between Disney and Governor DeSantis that Disney is actually suing the governor. The company is claiming that DeSantis violated its First Amendment Rights when he began punishing them for speaking out against a bill he supported.

For months, DeSantis has been constantly criticized for his fight against Mickey Mouse. His attacks on Disney have cost Florida Disney’s billion-dollar Lake Nona Campus project. The cancelation of Lake Nona also cost the state thousands of jobs and millions in taxes.

Republicans are typically pro-big business, and DeSantis’ opponents have frequently accused him of hurting the state because Disney hurt his ego. DeSantis has been called out by Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Chris Christie.