When Disney closed the Hall of Presidents back in January, 2017 in order to add President Donald Trump, there were questions as to whether the new President would deliver a speech, just as all Presidents since 1993 had done.
Recent reports seem to have answered that question. Yes, Trump will speak.
Now, the question becomes who will get to control the text of that speech.
Controlling the Text
Sources report that the Trump communications team wants exclusive control over the words that make up the speech, while Disney Imagineers want a collaborative process – as they had with Clinton, Bush, and Obama.
After some behind-the-scenes drama between Disney and Trump’s team, they apparently have come to some type of resolution – although it is not clear if Disney will have any say over the speech.
The meeting to record the speech with the President is apparently scheduled on the books, but the date is not public.
Disney has pushed back the re-opening of the Hall of Presidents from the originally announced summertime to the fall.
Avoiding Controversy
Apparently, Disney wants to respect the President and his team as much as possible, so they can avoid a Tweestorm and possible calls for boycotts of the park – as well as political fallout – if things go badly.
Should Trump’s team control the text of his Hall of Presidents speech?