While the fight between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has reached a new height in recent weeks, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) is offering the entertainment giant a lifeline. If they decide to leave the Sunshine State, she said, they’re always welcome in South Carolina.
Haley, a 2024 GOP contender, made the comments this week after Disney announced that it would sue DeSantis over a number of changes regarding Disneyworld.
Haley told Fox News that if “Disney would like to move their hundreds of thousands of jobs to South Carolina and bring the billions of dollars with them, I’ll let them know I’ll be happy to meet them in South Carolina and introduce them to the governor and the legislature would welcome it.”
The former governor then said that during her tenure, the state went from double-digit unemployment into an “economic powerhouse.”
She added that companies acted as her partners in office, “because if you take care of your businesses, you take care of your economy, your economy takes care of the people and everyone wins.”
Hey @Disney, my home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida.
We’ve got great weather, great people, and it’s always a great day in South Carolina!
SC’s not woke, but we’re not sanctimonious about it either. pic.twitter.com/uf1PWQjGc5
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 26, 2023
A pro-DeSantis political organization criticized Haley following her comments. The Never Back Down PAC tweeted a video with the caption “Mickey Haley!”
The video showed a number of Disney employees showing support for LGBT causes. One stated that they had a “not at all secret gay agenda” and “adding queerness” to the company’s programs. Another stated that there were “canonical trans characters.”
The corporation’s lawsuit accuses DeSantis of a “targeted campaign of government retaliation.” The state had removed the special arrangement surrounding control of the theme park.
According to Disney, “the State’s oversight board has purported to ‘void’ publicly noticed and duly agreed development contracts.”
The company said that these moves were “orchestrated at every step” by the governor.
Disney claims that such actions were violations of the company’s constitutional rights and represented “punishment.”
