According to The Wrap, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger surprised ABC News staff by showing up to a closed-door, daily editorial meeting. Some feel the reason was to express his concerns over the impact these new tariffs could have on the Disney Cruise Line. According to the article, staffers felt Iger was trying to push for ABC News to report his opinions to the viewers. Which, if true, would seem like a bit of a conflict of interest.
What did Iger say?
The Wrap indicates that there sources said that Bob Iger was trying to sound “…the alarm on President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and the impact they may have on not just his company, but the American economy at large.”
This information came from StatusNews run by Oliver Darcy.
He is worried about the issues with relocating overseas manufacturing back to the United States “speedily”, indicating that it was impossible to do so. Iger is also very concerned with the impact of tariffs on Hollywood and Disney Cruise Lines. He is allegedly concerned that the costs will become too high and may cause Disney to ditch some of their upcoming DCL ships.
“…staffers described Iger as continuously jumping into the conversation to share his thoughts and offer more of what Darcy said were “unfiltered views.” He expressed concern for Disney’s cruise line — particularly two new ships that rely on steel for their construction and how the company may have to scale back spending if costs rise too high.”
Personally, I think that 13 ships were always excessive, but I digress.
Why is this concerning?
If true, this seems like a big overstep on Bob Iger’s part. He is worried about the new tariffs impacting the Walt Disney Company specifically, and could be trying to use ABC News as a way to generate push back from the public. While they did not say he told them to write anything about it, anonymous staffers felt his “unfiltered views,” including discussion about how “most people don’t understand how tariffs work,”were “his push for ABC News to connect the dots for readers and viewers.”
The staffer or staffers who reported to Darcy seemed to feel that Iger was trying to push for them to “educate” readers and viewers. His motivation was implied to be fear over rising costs for Disney. It’s ironic given the increasing costs Iger keeps levying on Disney park guests or streaming service customers, but again, I digress.
The Wrap reached out to Disney for comment, but Disney representatives declined.
What do you think? Comment and let us know.
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