Disney issues dire warning for the fate of free speech should it lose to Ron DeSantis

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) continues his battle with Disney in court, the House of Mouse has expressed fear for the future of the First Amendment should DeSantis come out on top.

The lawsuit accuses DeSantis of a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint” after the entertainment company publicly criticized his “Don’t Say Gay” law. In court documents filed on Monday, Disney reportedly warned that a DeSantis victory would lead to a slew of other companies being punished for expressing a “disfavored viewpoint.”

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“If the line is not drawn here, there is no line at all,” Disney stated. “The retaliation against Disney for crossing the Governor’s ‘line’ was swift and severe: for the explicitly-stated purpose of punishing Disney for its comments, the State immediately stripped Disney of its voting rights in the governing body that oversees Disney’s use of its own private property.”

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DeSantis has made it extremely clear that the actions he has taken against Disney over the past few years have been the direct result of its opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

In addition to stripping Disney of control over its special tax district under which it has operated for years, DeSantis has threatened to build a prison next to Disney and called for state oversight of Disney World’s rides. Florida Republicans also threatened to tax Disney’s hotels and impose tolls on roads that lead into Disney World as well as shut down its famous 15-mile monorail.

DeSantis has also repeatedly threatened and railed against Disney in public, saying “I think they crossed the line… We’re going to make sure we’re fighting back when people are threatening our parents and threatening our kids.” Soon after, he told conservative commentator Dave Rubin, “I thought it was a mistake for Disney to get involved and I told them, ‘You shouldn’t get involved, it’s not going to work out well for you.”

DeSantis has been widely mocked for his obsession with punishing Disney, and the feud is also costing Florida taxpayers millions of dollars.

DeSantis is currently running for President in the Republican primary. While he is polling in second place, he is far behind first-place candidate Donald Trump, with 12.6% support compared to Trump’s 59%, according to RealClearPolitics.