Colorado Governor Rips DeSantis For ‘Socialist Attacks on the Private Sector’: ‘We’re Ready for Mountain Disneyland’

By Alex GriffingApr 19th, 2022, 5:32 pm
 

Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D-CO) lit into Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Tuesday over what Polis called Florida’s “authoritarian socialist attacks” on the free market.

DeSantis has been leading a culture war against some of America’s most iconic corporations, like Disney and Twitter, over what he sees as their undue influence over society – an influence DeSantis would like to curtail using the powers of his office.

On Tuesday, the Florida Republican gave a speech in which he announced that his state, which is invested in Twitter via a pension fund, would look into holding “accountable” the board of directors of Twitter for rebuffing billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover bid.

“We’re gonna be looking at ways the state of Florida potentially can be holding these Twitter board of directors accountable for breaching their fiduciary duty,” charged DeSantis in a clip that was shared on social media.

Polis, who has positioned himself as a centrist, commented on the clip, writing:

Florida’s authoritarian socialist attacks on the private sector are driving businesses away. In CO, we don’t meddle in affairs of companies like @Disney or @Twitter. Hey @Disney we’re ready for Mountain Disneyland and @twitter we’re ready for Twitter HQ2, whoever your owners are

Before entering politics, Polis was a successful businessman amassing a large fortune during the early days of the internet and as a member of Congress was the only Democrat to join the House’s libertarian Liberty Caucus.

On Tuesday, DeSantis also moved to end Disney’s special status for its Florida theme parks. DeSantis announced a change to the state legislature’s agenda to include a review of “independent special districts that were established prior to November 5, 1968.”

The move is a significant escalation in DeSantis’ fight over Disney, which began with the entertainment company coming out against a bill that gay rights activists denounced as discriminatory.

Florida state Rep. Andrew Learned tweeted the news on Tuesday writing, “BREAKING: Governor DeSantis is seeking to turn today’s Special Legislative Session into a full-scale attack on Walt Disney World and Mickey Mouse. This isn’t a joke, this is 2022 and the modern Republican Party.”

Polis, who is the first openly gay man elected to statewide office in the U.S., continued to troll DeSantis, replying, “We will grant Mickey and Minnie full asylum in Colorado.”

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com

Filed Under:
Alex Griffing - Senior Editor

Alex Griffing is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Send tips via email: alexanderg@mediaite.com. Follow him on Twitter: @alexgriffing