DeSantis vs. Disney showdown bolsters Florida governor's standing in GOP

A recent flap over a bill that opponents have dubbed "Don't Say Gay" has only bolstered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' standing within his party, and it has exposed a widening chasm between the current crop of Republican leaders and the corporations that have traditionally curried favor with the GOP.

"If you are in one of these corporations, if you're a woke CEO, you want to get involved in our legislative business, look, it's a free country," the Florida Republican said last June. "But understand, if you do that, I'm fighting back against you. And I'm going to make sure that people understand your business practices, and anything I don't like about what you're doing."

DeSantis this month made clear he wasn't bluffing. A day after Chapek publicly condemned a controversial Florida bill that would ban classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity before fourth grade, DeSantis ripped Disney to a room of supporters. He called Disney a "woke corporation" and criticized its business interests in China. Fox obtained and posted a video from the private event, and DeSantis and his staff helped spread it on social media.