Trump and Musk torpedoed by…Disney

Abigail Disney is the philanthropic heiress of the Disney company. At 65 years old, Walt Disney's grandniece doesn't hesitate to publicly criticise the American government and those at its helm.

Abigail Disney doesn't hide her disdain for Donald Trump and his loyal right-hand man, Elon Musk. Although he, like her, is at the head of a colossal fortune, it doesn't change her stance. In an interview with The Guardian, she notably discusses the Pepfar programme (the emergency plan for the fight against AIDS) which has been frozen by the head of Tesla. "People are suffering and dying today because of this reduction. There are HIV-positive children who should not be, because of Elon Musk," she declared. Having supported the project for years in order to increase taxes for the richest and donated a large part of her inheritance to organisations committed to fighting poverty as well as advocating for peace, she doesn't approve of the decisions taken by the American president and his government team, reports Franceinfo.

Furthermore, she recalls that the richest man in the world was able to create his first companies solely thanks to his father's fortune.

No morality, not an ounce of shame

Abigail Disney portrays Musk as an individual completely devoid of morality and shame. According to the Disney heiress, he and Trump "waste no time feeling ashamed. Yet shame is a virtuous emotion. It's not an emotion one wants to live with, but it's an emotion one sometimes wants to have as motivation. Where is it? Where is the shame?"

And she continues: "Trump is an heir. He never admits it, but he couldn't have done any of this without inheritance. He absorbed the lessons of financial inheritance almost without filter. As a child, he was violent, a bully, and was rewarded for it, even when very young. The more money he had, the more he displayed his flaws and the more he was told he was wonderful."

An opposition, and then?

Asked about the possibility of a major opposition to the occupant of the White House, Walt Disney's grandniece finds it hard to hide her scepticism. "We could all protest on the streets. But what would be the unifying message? Chaos is deliberate: it aims to give us too much to handle. Are we going to talk about the environment? Are we going to talk about diversity, equality, and inclusion policies? Are we going to talk about gay rights, women's rights?"

A hint of hope nevertheless arrives, embodied by those Abigail Disney considers the progressive flag bearers, namely Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "We need Bernie to take stock. We need AOC's expertise. We need people who show themselves to be authentic, passionate, and insightful about the way forward."

(MH with Olivia Stasse - Source: Franceinfo - Picture: ©picture alliance / Newscom | Matias J. Ocner)