Fighting Trump will make or break Disney’s new CEO

A week ago, newly appointed Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro was busy regaling investors with plans to turn Disney Plus into the company’s “digital centerpiece.” By last Friday, though, his attention had presumably shifted to a fight with the Trump administration over free speech. Disney-owned ABC has now accused the administration of violating its First Amendment rights with an ongoing investigation into The View . D’Amaro — the former head of Disney’s parks division — might have wanted his legacy to be defined by corporate synergy and a souped-up version of Disney Plus. But this fight with Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission is likely to be the first thing that defines his tenure. In its recent filing to the FCC , ABC claimed that the agency is threatening free speech with its ongoing investigation into whether The View violated the “equal time” rule, which requires radio and TV broadcasters to provide competing political candidates with equal access and time. Ahead of this year’s midterm elections, The View ran segments featuring James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett — two Texas Democratic candidates running for Senate seats — and the FCC seems to be taking issue with the fact that the show did not invite any Republican politicians to speak on camera. …