Haley quotes DeSantis in Disney: the government should not ‘bully’ companies

It was a feud that cost Florida 2,000 jobs under Governor Ron DeSantis. And Nikki Haley jumped up.

During a debate about Mr. DeSantis’ battle with Disney, Ms. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, cast herself as a business-friendly politician who didn’t let personal slights get in the way of governing.

“When they started criticizing him, he got thin-skinned and suddenly started fighting back,” Ms. Haley said. “We don’t need a government fighting our private industries. We’re not awake in South Carolina. I will always invite companies to come to South Carolina. But the one thing you don’t do is make sure the government doesn’t bully our companies.”

Mr. DeSantis’ feud with Disney stemmed from a statement the company released after the governor signed a law restricting classroom teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity.

The company said its “goal as a company is to have this law repealed by the Legislature or overturned by the courts.”

Mr. DeSantis was defiant.

“If Disney wants to argue, they picked the wrong guy,” Mr. DeSantis wrote in a fundraising email at the time.

He began targeting Disney with multiple actions, including ending Disney’s long-held ability to self-govern its 25,000-acre resort as if it were a province, and creating plans to subject Disney to new ride inspection rules.

The company has filed a lawsuit and is embroiled in a legal battle with Mr. DeSantis. But perhaps most damaging to Mr. DeSantis was Disney’s decision to pull the plug on the office complex that was to be built in Orlando at a cost of about $1 billion, with more than 2,000 new jobs for the region.

Mr. DeSantis said in his rebuttal Wednesday that he had no regrets.

“We must stand up for the people and not bow down to woke corporations, and we know Nikki Haley will cave to the woke mob every time,” Mr. DeSantis said.