Former Disney CEO Bob Iger admits his presidential ambitions were 'naive'

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is "over" his presidential dreams.

Iger, who's stepping away as Disney's executive chair at the end of this month after previously stepping down as CEO, conducted something of an exit interview with Variety. In the piece, published Tuesday, he reflected on the fact that he once seriously considered running for president and told Variety a political future is now off the table for him.

"Looking back on it, I think I was a little bit too idealistic," Iger said. "I think I was just really naive and maybe a bit presumptuous about my abilities, but more than that just presumptuous about my chances. And I'm just over it."

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Iger previously revealed he thought about running for president before the 2016 election and prior to the 2020 election, saying, "I really thought about running for governor and running for senator and running for mayor of New York and ultimately thought about running for president, which is I guess the ultimate sacrifice really."

He also said his wife was against the idea. "I said to her, 'I don't know what got into me. I'm going to run for president," Iger said. "And she broke out into tears. She basically said it will ruin our lives." His children didn't want him to run, either, so "the rest is history."

Iger's unrealized run wasn't entirely without support, however. "If Bob Iger had decided to run for president, I would be canvassing in Iowa right now," Oprah Winfrey said in 2019. "I would be going door to door."

Speaking about his post-Disney future to Variety, Iger indicated he has "no interest in running another company," and he's looking forward to having a "true day off."