DeSantis Dismisses Disney Lawsuit as 'Political'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit brought against him by Disney as without merit, saying it was politically motivated and that it was time for the beloved company to stop enjoying favorable treatment in his state.

Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republican’s takeover of its theme park district, alleging the governor waged a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” after the company opposed a law critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”

The legal filing is the latest salvo in a more than year-old feud between Disney and DeSantis that has engulfed the governor in criticism as he prepares to launch an expected presidential bid in the coming months.

"They’re upset because they’re having to live by the same rules as everybody else," DeSantis said at a press conference in Jerusalem.

DeSantis was speaking from Israel on the third leg of an international trip meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of his expected presidential bid, what would make him a key rival to former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis has dived headlong into the fray with Disney, a major driver of tourism and a font for employment in Florida, as business leaders and White House rivals bash his stance as a rejection of the small-government tenets of conservatism.

Answering a question about the expected presidential bid, DeSantis said, "if there's any announcements, you know, those will come at the appropriate time."

He began his multi-country trip in Japan and then traveled to South Korea. After Israel, he heads to Britain.

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