DeSantis urges Bob Iger to drop Disney lawsuit, accept the end of 'special privileges'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis connected Monday said that Disney CEO Bob Iger should driblet his company's lawsuit accusing the Republican politician of governmental retaliation.

"They're suing the authorities of Florida. They're going to suffer that lawsuit," DeSantis said successful an interrogation with CNBC's "Last Call" acceptable to aerial successful afloat astatine 7 p.m. ET.

"So what I would accidental is, driblet the lawsuit," the politician said erstwhile asked what helium would archer Iger if helium were to springiness him a telephone today.

"This is simply a large spot to bash business," DeSantis said, citing Florida's presumption arsenic the apical authorities system successful CNBC's latest nationalist survey. The Sunshine State scored eighth wide successful CNBC's ranking of America's Top States for Business successful 2023.

"Your competitors each bash precise good here, Universal, SeaWorld. They person not had the aforesaid peculiar privileges arsenic you have," DeSantis said he'd archer Iger.

"So each we privation to bash is dainty everybody the same, and let's determination forward. I'm wholly good with that. But I'm not good with giving bonzer privileges, you know, to 1 peculiar institution astatine the exclusion of everybody else," helium said.

DeSantis was referencing Walt Disney World's peculiar taxation district, which has go a cardinal battleground successful the governor's long-running feud with 1 of his state's apical employers.

The politician and his allies targeted the territory — which has allowed the Orlando-area taxable parkland to fundamentally self-govern its operations since the 1960s — soon aft Disney denounced a arguable GOP-backed schoolroom measure past year.

Facing unit from wrong his company, Disney's then-CEO Bob Chapek came retired against the legislation, which constricted schoolroom treatment of sex and intersexual predisposition and has been dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics. After the measure was signed successful March 2022, Disney vowed to assistance repeal it.

In February, DeSantis signed a measure putting the territory nether his power by letting him handpick its five-member committee of supervisors. That caller committee accused Disney of thwarting its powerfulness by crafting semipermanent improvement deals. In April, the DeSantis committee voted to nullify those contracts, prompting Disney to writer successful national court.

The institution alleges DeSantis "orchestrated astatine each step" a run of authorities retaliation "as punishment for Disney's protected speech."

DeSantis and the different defendants successful the suit person asked for the lawsuit to beryllium dismissed.

The politician said successful Monday's interrogation that helium and his allies person "basically moved on" from the feud.

"I would conscionable say, spell backmost to what you did well. I deliberation it's going to beryllium the close concern decision, and each that," helium said.

But DeSantis has often invoked his conflict with Disney connected the run way arsenic helium seeks the 2024 Republican statesmanlike nomination. The governor, whose governmental benignant features a dense accent connected warring "woke" societal issues, has accused Disney of sexualizing children.

Iger told CNBC past period that those claims are "preposterous and inaccurate."

Once seen arsenic a large menace to Donald Trump successful the GOP superior race, DeSantis has struggled to adjacent his polling spread with the erstwhile president and enactment up concerns from immoderate apical donors astir the campaign.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the genitor institution of Universal Studios and CNBC.

— CNBC's Sarah Whitten contributed to this report.