The Walt Disney Company has announced it has canceled plans to invest more than a billion dollars in a central Florida project that would have moved 2,000 employees to the state. It is being framed as a decision in retaliation against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for his treatment of the company in recent months. However, Erick Erickson believes that’s not an accurate representation of the facts.
During his radio show Friday, Erickson expressed his dissatisfaction with the reporting on the matter, saying he understood why political opponents of DeSantis had framed the narrative in such a manner, but couldn’t understand why media outlets would do the same.
“I don’t mind the political opponents attacking him for it. What I do mind greatly is that the American political press, they’re not interested in the facts. They’re not interested in the truth. They’re interested in the narrative,” Erickson said. “And right now, they’re so desperate for Trump to be the nominee, they’ll do anything to stop DeSantis, including dumping this oppo out there as if DeSantis is really to blame.
“And if you read every single story, from The New York Times, to The Washington Post, to The Wall Street Journal, to CNBC and Bloomberg, you actually can read the stories and realize this isn’t about DeSantis. But the framing always is, because who cares what the truth is, when you can tell a political story that maybe hurts a guy you’re trying to stop.”
The media encapsulation comes after Disney CEO Bob Iger asked “Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes, or not?” on an earnings call last week.
The company and governor have had a contentious relationship in recent weeks.
DeSantis ended Disney’s special governance district around its Orlando-area properties. In response, the company sued DeSantis for his role in the decision to restrict Disney’s autonomy, saying the evidence supports the Florida governor violated the company’s First Amendment rights by retaliating against it for expressing its freedom of speech.
