President Donald Trump has reportedly met with Disney CEO Bob Iger in the White House, and the two apparently discussed the plans for Disneyland Abu Dhabi.
Trump Comments on Disneyland Abu Dhabi
Just in the past few weeks, Disney stunned by announcing plans for a new theme park located in Abu Dhabi. The park will be located on Yas Island, and CEO Bob Iger later commented that “Of all the places that we could choose from, there did not seem to be any place that is better than this.” The park, which is currently being dubbed Disneyland Abu Dhabi, will be completely funded and operated by Miral in a contract similar to Tokyo Disney Resort, which is owned and operated by The Oriental Land Co.
The reveal of Abu Dhabi included statements that it will feature the first “modern” castle icon in a Disney park and will be the “most technologically advanced theme park” Disney has ever built. Immediately following the announcement, Walt Disney Company shares jumped by over 10%.
While not part of the initial Disney earnings call, the Miral Group CEO later added in an interview that Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be an indoor theme park.
A new article by Forbes reports that President Donald Trump has now commented on the plans for Disneyland Abu Dhabi during his trip to the Middle East. According to Forbes, Trump was having a discussion about the number of American companies investing in the Middle East when he added, “Disney – I see their new theme park is going to be incredible.”
Trump went on to mention that he met with Disney CEO Bob Iger, where the two shared a discussion involving the actual plans for the new park, “Bob Iger was in my office the other day and he was showing it to me and it’s going to be incredible.”
Forbes adds that Miral’s CEO Mohamed Al Zaabi later posted a video of Trump’s comments on his Instagram Stories with the caption “what a theme park, even presidents talk about it.”
Trump and Iger have had a somewhat rocky relationship over the years. Recently, Iger appeared during an ABC News segment and expressed his concerns over Trump’s tariffs on U.S. trade partners. Trump’s announcement of a potential tariff on movies produced outside of the U.S. also caused Disney stock prices to fall earlier this month.
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