Trump Cheers Ike Perlmutter for Leaving Disney: ‘He Didn’t Want Woke Donald Duck’

President-elect Donald Trump praised Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, the former chairman of Marvel Entertainment, during an event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday night.

Trump shared with his supporters that Perlmutter had a remarkable journey, saying, “The guy went from being completely broke to owning Disney.” He added, “Then he got out of Disney because they went woke. He didn’t want woke Donald Duck, right?”

In 2023, Disney let go of Perlmutter after his division, which was separate from Marvel Studios, was merged into other parts of the company as a result of cost-cutting efforts. Earlier this year, Perlmutter sold all of his Disney stock, around 25.6 million shares, for nearly $3 billion.

He reportedly mentioned that he expects Disney’s stock to continue dropping, and if it falls to a range of $65-$75 per share, he plans to buy back a large portion of his stock holdings.

In 2023, Disney and Marvel Studios faced major setbacks, with most movies underperforming and TV shows receiving mixed reviews. Disney ended the year without a billion-dollar movie, while Marvel’s ‘The Marvels’ became the lowest-grossing film in the MCU, failing to hit $100 million at the domestic box office. The movie also lost $237 million, contributing to Disney’s financial struggles.

CEO Bob Iger acknowledged the problem, saying they over-invested in streaming and created too much content too quickly, diluting quality. He admitted that the company’s structure lacked accountability, leading to a $4 billion loss in streaming. Iger has since announced plans to reduce content output and focus on producing higher-quality work.

However, some fans believe Disney’s losses are partly due to their focus on projects that alienate core audiences, such as female-focused superhero films, negative portrayals of men, and race-swapping of classic characters.

2024 was an improvement for the company’s reputation as they had 2 highest-grossing movies earning over $1B, ‘Inside Out 2’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’ ‘Moana 2’ also made it to the list albeit in 4th place.

It seems that recovery is on its way, especially with several Star Wars and Marvel Studios projects on the way.

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