Trump Campaign Says DeSantis Is Caught in A “Mouse Trap”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to announce a run for the 2024 presidency next week. Former President Donald Trump sees DeSantis as his closest rival even though Trump enjoys a sizable lead in most polls. 

Any chance Donald Trump gets to play “one-up-man-ship” on the governor will not be wasted. 

The latest bad news for DeSantis and welcome news for Trump is Disney backing out of plans for an office complex in Lake, Nona, Florida. 

The $1 billion investment loss and 2,000 jobs the project was estimated to produce have been scrapped. The project would have moved those 2,000 jobs from tax-prohibitive California to tax-friendly Florida. 

On his Truth Social media platform, Trump accurately predicted the Disney decision on April 18, 2023, stating that the former president is always right. 

The chairman of Disney Parks, Josh D’Amaro, cited the changing business conditions in Florida as the reason for the change of direction in an employee email. 

Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney, said that although the company is reevaluating what future business can be done in Florida, he’s hopeful that the plan to invest $17 billion in the Sunshine State over the next ten years will continue. 

Fifty years ago, an agreement between Walt Disney World and the State of Florida awarded self-governing status and other privileges and created a special district for the theme park to open a resort in Florida. 

Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill (HB) 9B on February 27, which ended the status Disney had previously enjoyed. The bill will create a new district totally under Florida’s control that determines how the district will pay any outstanding bonds and how it will raise needed revenues. 

Governor DeSantis said that the new Disney district would pay its fair share of taxes owed, pay all debts, and live under the same laws as anyone else in Florida. 

The “Disney – DeSantis” feud has been growing since the passage of HB 1557, commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say, Gay Bill.” Disney strongly opposed the bill in a statement released last year after the bill was passed.