Petition Aims to Silence Trump Animatronic Figure at Disney World
With President Obama already having taken his place in Disney World Florida’s Hall of Presidents alongside his 43 predecessors, the question has been raised if it would be wise to include speeches from an animatronic figure of the very newest President in the attraction?
So far, more than 10,000 people have signed an online petition on Change.org demanding that Disney refrain from giving voice to the Trump figure placed in the pantheon of Presidents. The petition’s argument is that an environment where families and children come for a fun time may not be the right one for Trump’s “hateful speech, misogyny, racism and xenophobia.”
“He has tainted the legacy of the American Presidency forever,” the petition reads. “The Magic Kingdom at Disney World is a place specifically designed for the enjoyment of children and families. Therefore, it is not an appropriate place for a Donald Trump speech. We ask that Walt Disney World take a stand against divisive and hurtful rhetoric and have the backs of millions of Americans and people worldwide whose day would be ruined by the depiction of a speech by Donald Trump.”
The petition has a preliminary target of 15,000 signatures, at which point it says it will be delivered to The Walt Disney Company. The attraction itself is currently closed so that the new animatronic figure can be installed, and it is scheduled to reopen in June. As part of the attraction, the sitting president typically gives a speech.
“We will no longer be annual pass holders and very saddened if Disney adds the Trump speech,” read one comment on the petition.
Earlier today, Variety reported that Disney CEO Bob Iger won’t attend a planned meeting on Friday of President Donald Trump’s strategic and policy forum due to a previously scheduled meeting. Iger’s planned participation on the panel had already caused controversy, as on Tuesday, the corporate watchdog group SumOfUs called for Iger to step down from the panel.