New book gives insight into script change Trump requested for Hall of Presidents
We may finally have a little insight into why the Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents took so long to reopen after President Trump was elected.
According to excerpts the Daily Beast
The practice of having a sitting president speak at the Magic Kingdom attraction started in October 1993 with Bill Clinton. George W. Bush and Barack Obama followed suit, recording their voices.
Shortly after the election, a Disney crew headed to the White House to record President Trump. This time, the President wanted to put his own spin on the speech, wanting to say that Americans had invented the skyscraper and remind them of his real estate career, according to “Team of Vipers,” by former senior White House aide Cliff Sims, scheduled for release Jan. 29
“Then I could add a little, ‘Which, of course, I know a thing or two about,’ right?” Trump suggested his audio-
Disney brass objected to the request, saying that Americans hadn’t actually invented the concept of a skyscraper. Sims agreed to strike the line from the pre-recorded speech.
The Hall of Presidents was closed for a year as the film and attraction were updated and the preparation of the new audio-animatronic character. The original opening date was pushed back as the White House and Disney went around on the script.
No matter what side of the aisle you fall on, there’s one thing in the excerpt you can probably appreciate: Trump’s exhilaration at the opportunity. Or as Sims, wrote, the idea of working with Disney on this “was a presidential duty that filled the President with unusual boyish excitement.”
Trump recites the oath of office and follows with a 161-word speech. Here is the full text (the video is below):
“I, Donald John Trump, solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God.
“From the beginning, America has been a nation defined by its people. At our founding, it was the American people who rose up to defend our freedoms and win our independence. It is why our founders began our great Constitution with three very simple words: We, the people.
“Since that moment each generation of Americans has taken its place in the defense of our freedom, our flag and our nation under God. These are the achievements of the American spirit. The spirit of a people who fought and died to bring the blessings of liberty to all people. Above all, to be American is to be an optimist to believe we can always do better and that the best days of our great nation are still ahead of us. It’s a privilege to serve as the President of the United States. To stand here among so many great leaders of our past and to work on behalf of the American people.”
