Donald Trump is not only moving out of the White House soon, but his creepy likeness at Walt Disney World will be pushed to back row of former presidents too.
When Joe Biden becomes the 46th president on January 20, Disney World will have made a decision about a longtime attraction at their Florida themepark.
There is no word yet from Disney officials about whether they’ll add Biden, but one thing is certain: Trump’s unsettling robot is about to exit the spotlight.
The Hall of Presidents is a 25-minute stage show that “tells the dramatic story of the nation’s founding” through animatronic figures of U.S. presidents.
There are currently 44 figures in total, considering Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms.
Biden would be the 45th on stage.
The show opened when Disney World opened in 1971 and was created after a Disney-developed animatronic Abraham Lincoln reciting the Gettysburg Address was showcased at the New York World’s Fair in 1964.
Lincoln remains on display at Disneyland, and Disney calls it “the first Audio-Animatronics figure in human form.”
Reflecting a country with deepening political divisions, it’s become increasingly controversial, and, based on attendance numbers and wait times, steadily less popular.
For many Disney parkgoers, it’s long been a joke that the Hall is where you go to cool off or take a nap.
Perhaps that lack of interest in American presidential history is one reason why so many of Trump’s supporters continue to insist he won the election, despite losing decisively to Biden.
After Trump’s election, the attraction closed from January to December 2017.
That was a long delay due, in part, to Trump’s refusal to record a message that goes into the show.
During 2017, a Change.org petition urged Disney not to feature a speaking role for Trump, citing his “hateful speech, misogyny, racism and xenophobia.”
There were also Change.org petitions to stop the Trump animatronic from being installed in the first place, and to put him in the Haunted Mansion instead of the Hall of Presidents.
WATCH: Disney’s Hall Of Presidents Show
Multiple Disney blogs have called on the park to replace Hall of Presidents with a more modern and less partisan offering of American history; one centered around “Hamilton,” the Broadway show about the founding father Alexander Hamilton.
Streaming service Disney Plus released a movie version of a performance this summer.
After Biden’s victory, Theme Park Insider’s Robert Niles questioned whether the Hall of Presidents could survive past the Trump era.
“Maybe Hall of Presidents could return to being a more patriotic, and less partisan, show,” wrote Niles. “The easiest change Disney could make here would be to ditch the current president’s speech after President Trump leaves office. With two Republicans and two Democrats having had the new spotlight, Disney could fairly call it even and retire the feature.”
At this point we know for sure The Hall of Presidents will close down, at last temporarily, after Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
In our view, the historical attraction deserves to continue on with Trump’s replacement firmly in place.
The Hall of Presidents, at the very least, is a reminder that our Republic can survive both crisis and failed leadership.