Here’s What's 'Ironical' About Presidential Candidate Ron DeSantis’ Wedding

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis got married to his wife Casey DeSantis back in 2009, and a detail about the wedding came to light last year. 13 years after his marriage, DeSantis himself admits that this detail was "kind of ironic."

The Florida Governor disclosed publicly for the first time in 2022 how he and his wife came to exchange their vows at Walt Disney World Resort during a fairy tale wedding, only to fight the family-favorite company viciously 13 years later.

The Republican governor corroborated the claims about the Disney wedding in an interview with Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, reported Business Insider. "In looking forward to what we ended up doing as governor and some of the face-offs that we had with some major institutions in Florida, it's kind of ironic," DeSantis said. Casey admitted in the interview that the discovery "created a lot of news."

When Casey was growing up in Ohio, her parents always looked forward to going to the theme park, so they had the idea that they get married at Disney World. "And one of the other great things was the fact that they did a lot of the planning for you," she said of Disney's wedding offerings. "So it was I could just show up sort of thing. And it was really a lot of fun." The wedding is something the couple might be regretting now, as in 2022, Ron DeSantis went head-to-head against the company.

The conflict started as soon as the Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, was enacted by the governor of Florida in March 2022, per POLITICO. The rule prohibits teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with their pupils in kindergarten through third grade. Disney, who first remained silent on the bill, later hit out at the bill that restricts queer children.

The media mogul promised to quit supporting political campaigns in the state as a result of the contentious legislation known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. “Our employees see the power of this great company as an opportunity to do good. I agree,” Chapek wrote in a memo, per POLITICO. “Yes, we need to use our influence to promote that good by telling inclusive stories, but also by standing up for the rights of all.”

Disney revealed that they would create a new framework for political donations, according to Chapek, to guarantee that the company's “advocacy better reflects our values.” Chapek shared that this is required since “this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights.”

The conflict escalated when as retaliation for speaking out against the new rule, DeSantis signed a piece of legislation that might put an end to the entertainment mogul's unique rights. The two anti-Disney legislation targeted Disney’s self-governing status and a special carve-out in another law.

He specifically hit out at the media giant during an event at a Hialeah Gardens charter school. “You’re a corporation based in Burbank, California, and you’re going to martial your economic might to attack the parents of my state? We view that as a provocation, and we’re going to fight back against that,” DeSantis said. 

Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 3, 2023. It has since been updated.