Donald Trump Praises Former Marvel Head: 'Didn't Want Woke Donald Duck'

President-elect Donald Trump had some kind words for the former head of Marvel Entertainment, Ike Perlmutter this week. 

Perlmutter was essentially forced out of Marvel in 2023 as part of cost-cutting measures at Disney, and he followed that up by selling all of his Disney stock, worth billions of dollars, given the company's rampant issues brought on by its political ideology.

And Trump celebrated him for it at an event at Mar-a-Lago, saying Perlmutter didn't want "woke Donald Duck," which is why Disney corporate executives pushed him out.

"The guy went from stone-cold broke to owning Disney," Trump said to a group gathered at the South Florida mansion. "Then he got out of Disney because they went woke. He didn’t want woke Donald Duck, right?"

That's been Disney's problem for years, and the more attention drawn to it, the better. 

Disney CEO Bob Iger made it clear that TV networks may not be at the core of the company's future. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times)

Disney's Politics Have Cost The Company Billions

Perlmutter, who bought Marvel Entertainment when it was at its lowest point and sold it to Disney for $4 billion, was part of the leadership team that turned the studio into a juggernaut. But his political beliefs clearly conflicted with Disney and the direction the company wanted to take its content.

A direction it's quickly retreating from now, after a string of progressive flops.

READ: Tide Is Turning: Disney Drops Transgender Storyline From Pixar TV Series

While it's nice to see Donald Trump shine a light on Disney's issues now, it does raise questions as to why he was critical of Ron DeSantis for taking Disney on in 2023. Exactly the period that Perlmutter left the entertainment giant.

Disney has wanted to make "woke Donald Duck" or things like it for years, then turned their attentions into interfering with legislation that had nothing to do with them. DeSantis fought back, with many on the right criticizing him for it, including Trump.

Uniting against corporate wokeness should always be the goal. Better late than never.