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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Rachel Brodsky

Disney chair Bob Iger says he would consider a job in Biden’s administration

Photograph: Getty Images for Vanity Fair

President-elect Joe Biden has been busy building his incoming administration, and Walt Disney executive chairman Bob Iger is paying attention.

The CEO recently spoke to the Carlyle Group's David Rubenstein in a Bloomberg TV interview, noting that he would consider taking a role in the Biden administration if asked.

"Giving back in some fashion — serving our country in some fashion — is certainly something that I would consider seriously," Iger said.

Iger will be stepping down as Disney CEO in February of next year, and will be leaving the company entirely next December, according to Bloomberg. Iger has not been approached by Biden's team at this time, but he said in the interview that he has been approached by some private equity companies regarding his next steps.

"There’s a whole world out there, and I still have a lot of energy and a huge amount of curiosity," he said.

This is not the first time Iger has expressed an interest in politics. Speaking to Rubenstein, Iger noted that he'd actually considered running on the 2020 Democratic ticket.

"I was seriously considering it," he revealed. "But I’m not sure I would have gotten as far as actually running. I was starting to think more and more about how difficult the path might be in the Democratic Party for a businessman to actually get the nomination."

The Coronavirus pandemic has badly impacted Disney's revenue this past year, with park and movie theaters closures. Senator Elizabeth Warren called Iger and CEO Bob Chapek in a letter in October, questioning the company's decision to lay off Disney employees.

"I would like to know whether Disney's financial practices have impacted the company's decision to lay off workers and whether your company plans to extend health care or other critical benefits and protections to laid off employees," she wrote.

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