McCarthy bashes DeSantis over Disney battle: ‘Sit down and negotiate’
Brady Knox
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) bashed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) over his handling of a feud with Disney.
Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box, McCarthy was critical of DeSantis’s approach to Disney in a yearlong feud. On Wednesday, Disney sued DeSantis, claiming that he pursued a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”
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The House speaker advised DeSantis to drop his hard-liner approach and instead sit down and negotiate with the entertainment giant.
“I’d give him the same advice I gave President Biden,” McCarthy said. “Why wouldn’t you sit down and negotiate and talk. If there’s differences, you can always find ways that you can solve this problem.”
He pointed to Disney’s status as a large employer inside of Florida as a reason to compromise.
“This is a big employer inside Florida,” McCarthy continued. “I think the governor should sit down with them. I don’t think the idea of building a prison next to a place that you bring your family is the best idea. I think it’d be much better if you sat down and solved the problems.”
The House speaker isn’t the first prominent Republican to take Disney’s side in the fight with the governor.
On Thursday, 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley went so far as to invite Disney to South Carolina, saying it was a far more favorable atmosphere for businesses.
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“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 that would welcome it,” she said.
Former President Donald Trump also took a shot at DeSantis over the affair, claiming Disney would gain the upper hand against the Florida governor.