Bernie Sanders has gone head-to-head with Disney once again in what is turning into a battle between the Democrat Donkey and Mickey Mouse.
After taking the global company to task over low wages for Disneyland employees on Tuesday, Sanders continued his attack at a rally in Lancaster, California, on Wednesday.
“The guy who is the head of Disney makes $42 million a year. [The] Company makes billions of dollars in profit, but they are paying workers there wages that are so low many of these workers can’t even find housing and have to stay in motels,” Sanders told supporters.
“I say to Disney, ‘Bring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck back to America!’” Sanders continued, referencing how many of Disney’s consumer products are made overseas.
The speech came the day after Disney CEO Bob Iger asked of Sanders “How many jobs have you created?” in a private Facebook post obtained by TheWrap.
“To Bernie Sanders: We created 11,000 new jobs at Disneyland in the past decade, and our company has created 18,000 in the US in the last five years,” wrote Iger, an outspoken Hillary Clinton supporter. “How many jobs have you created? What have you contributed to the US economy?”
Earlier in the day, Sanders launched a broadside attack on the Walt Disney Co. during an Anaheim Convention Center rally filled with 1,500 supporters.
“Anybody make a living wage working for Disney?” Sanders asked. “It’s an example of what we’re talking about when we talk about a rigged economy.”
Sanders went on to claim that “Disney pays its workers wages that are so low that many of them are forced to live in motels because they cannot afford a decent place to live.” He added, “People are asking is it right that at Disneyland you have a CEO making $46 million while they’re paying their workers starvation wages.”
A spokesperson for Disney has disputed Sanders’ characterizations.