DeSantis threatens Disney, praises Florida GOP’s ‘culture of winning’ in Michigan visit

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ nationwide swing took him to Michigan on Thursday, where he referred to Donald Trump’s indictment by attacking “ideological” prosecutors and compared Florida Democrats to roadkill.

He also vowed the state would get even with the Walt Disney Co., saying the company “tried to pull a fast one” by having the outgoing Reedy Creek board granted 30 years of development control to the company just days before a DeSantis-appointed board took over.

“All I can say is, that story’s not over yet,” DeSantis said, according to CBS News. “Buckle up, there’s going to be more coming down the pike.”

DeSantis’ trip to Michigan, widely seen as a prelude to a potential presidential run, takes him to a state described by a local Republican as the “anti-Florida,” where Democrats control the governor’s mansion and both chambers of the Legislature.

The Michigan Democratic Party wrote in a tweet Wednesday that “the difference in abortion rights couldn’t be more clear” between the two states, citing Michigan’s enshrining of abortion in the state constitution while DeSantis has indicated he would sign a six-week abortion ban before Florida lawmakers this month.

At a breakfast event before the Midland County GOP in central Michigan, DeSantis compared Florida Republicans’ “culture of winning” with the party’s “culture of losing” in other states, presumably including Michigan.

He called Florida Democrats “a dead carcass on the side of the road,” according to Politico. He also cited his razor-thin 2018 win over Democrat Andrew Gillum, saying, “I may have earned 50% of the vote, but that entitles me to wield 100% of the executive power and I intended to use that to advance a bold agenda.”

Michigan could be the fifth state to hold a GOP presidential primary or caucus in 2024. It’s one of the states NBC News reported would be a DeSantis “beachhead” for a potential primary campaign against former President Trump, according to GOP consultant Dennis Lennox.

Just like in his comments on Twitter following Trump’s indictment by a Manhattan jury in connection with payoffs to porn star Stormy Daniels, DeSantis did not mention his main potential rival for the 2024 GOP nomination by name.

“They’re weaponizing the prosecutorial power to advance a political agenda,” DeSantis said of prosecutors, some of whom may be “targeting a politician they don’t like.”

He then cited Andrew Warren, the Hillsborough state attorney he removed last year for signing a pledge not to prosecute women for abortions.

“It’s not about the rule of law,” DeSantis said, according to CBS News. “It’s about their ideological agenda.”

DeSantis’ speech drew about 500 people, according to NBC News. Another 100 or so protesters outside held signs reading “Ban Fascists, Not Books” and “Proud to be Woke.”

DeSantis joked that he was “hoping to draw out more [protesters]. … Chicago had more than Michigan had, but that’s okay.”

DeSantis was also scheduled to speak at Hillsdale College, the private conservative Michigan school that the DeSantis administration has cited as an inspiration for how they want to transform New College of Florida in Sarasota. DeSantis named Hillsdale College dean Matthew Spalding to New College’s board.

Another DeSantis board appointee, conservative Chris Rufo, said in a speech at Hillsdale last year he wanted to “lay siege to our institutions,” including public colleges. He also claimed Disney was “secretly trying to change, in a fundamental way, how children think about sexuality.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.