Nikki Haley invites Disney to South Carolina
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley weighs in on former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announcing a 2024 run and Disney suing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the loss of its special taxing district on 'America Reports.'
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley appeared to anger conservatives after she invited Walt Disney World to relocate to South Carolina from its current location amid its battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis, the popular Republican governor whom observers expect to launch a 2024 bid, was sued by Disney claiming "government retaliation" Wednesday, as he has clashed with the House of Mouse over its alleged "woke" politicking and response to the state's Parental Rights in Education law critics dubbed "Don't Say Gay."
The lawsuit came about a week after DeSantis said Florida's Republican legislature would act to stop Disney's current apparent effort to work around its oversight of its Lake Buena Vista, Fla. property.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor, told Fox News that the Palmetto State is an "anti-woke" but that if Disney wants to move its six-figure number of jobs northward, she would welcome it.
"I took a double-digit unemployment state and turned it into an economic powerhouse. Businesses were my partners because if you take care of your businesses, you take care of your economy – your economy takes care of the people and everyone wins," she said on "America Reports."
If Disney decides to bring its "billions of dollars with them," Hakey said she would reach out to Columbia's Republican leadership to help welcome them. Both State House majorities, plus the current governor, Henry McMaster, are Republicans.
Haley also tweeted at Disney's account on Wednesday, saying her "home state will happily accept your 70,000+ jobs if you want to leave Florida."
The former Trump administration official said South Carolina similarly has "great weather and great people," before underlining that it, like Florida, is 'not woke, but not sanctimonious about it either."
Notably, former President Donald Trump previously dubbed DeSantis "Ron DeSanctimonious."
Nikki Haley visits "Hannity" at Fox News Channel Studios on January 20, 2023 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
On Twitter, Haley's tweet was met with swift backlash by conservatives and others, with commentator Ian Miles Cheong calling it "bad optics," while far-right commentator Michael Cernovich claimed the remark to be the "only way" voters "know she exists" in the GOP field. Musician Chad Prather simply responded "fire yourself."
Others wondered aloud if Haley would offer the same deferential business treatment that Tallahassee did when then-Gov. Claude Kirk Jr. signed the "Reedy Creek Improvement District" into law in 1967 – which gave the House of Mouse self-governing status.
The formal "Reedy Creek" district was replaced in February by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District after relevant legislation was passed – almost a year after the legislature voted to abolish its predecessor.
Other Twitter users questioned how Haley could reconcile alleging South Carolina shuns "wokeness" when it would simultaneously welcome the park and its progressive corporate leadership.
"Found a Bud Light drinker," wrote another, in reference to how St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch continues to face fiery backlash for allowing the brand to partner with transgender celebrity Dylan Mulvaney.
Another critic claimed Haley's message had only two intended recipients: Trump, and Disney executives.
Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
"You are absolutely 100% Bush-Cheney establishment," another wrote.
A recent Fox News Poll showed Haley tied with former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney with 3% support, with Trump far ahead of the rest of the field at 54%. DeSantis, who has not announced a bid, scored 24% support among Republican primary voters.
The only declared GOP candidates are Trump, Haley, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Perry Johnson, former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
In the Fox Poll, undeclared prospective candidates Mike Pence and Greg Abbott garnered single-digit support as well.