A viral report recently claimed that President Donald Trump had ordered the reinstatement of the original Splash Mountain at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. According to the report, Trump’s supposed executive order would reverse the transformation of the Song of the South (1946) ride into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the reimagining based on The Princess and the Frog (2009). However, as much traction as this story gained on social media, the truth is far from what many Disney Parks fans believed.
In 2024, Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom Park introduced Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a reimagining of the Splash Mountain log flume ride. The attraction takes place after the events of The Princess and the Frog, with Princess Tiana, Louis, Mama Odie, and Prince Naveen guiding guests through an exciting journey, gathering musicians for a New Orleans-style celebration.
The original Splash Mountain was based on Song of the South, a controversial and widely banned film due to its portrayal of life after the Civil War for Black Americans. Despite the innocent appearance of the ride’s story, featuring Br’er Rabbit and his escapades with Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear, the film’s problematic legacy led to years of criticism and boycotts. Its iconic song, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” became associated with racial stereotypes.
In 2020, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was introduced as a more inclusive and thoughtful reimagining of the classic Disney Park ride. Still, the closure of Splash Mountain sparked debate among Disney fans, with many expressing disappointment over the change.
This recent report, however, seemed to promise a return to the past. The article from The Hard Times, a satirical outlet, claimed that Trump had signed an executive order to bring back the original Song of the South-themed Splash Mountain, much to the delight of nostalgic fans. The headline read: “Trump Signs Executive Order Demanding’ Song of the South’ Be Reinstated at Splash Mountain.”
View this post on Instagram
In the article, a quote attributed to Trump included the following:
“The way that all-time classic has been treated by Disney is a disgrace. People come up to me at my rallies, tears streaming down their face, can you believe, and they say, ‘Well, sir, the Democrats decided honoring Southern heritage was offensive so they replaced our beloved ‘Song of The South’ with Tiana’s ‘Bayou Adventure,’ and it’s just shameful. And you’ll never guess what happened when they did that. It closed down! You had all these people showing up to Disney going, ‘Who the hell is Tiana?’ and they just leave. They leave the park. If Disney doesn’t do the right thing I hate to think of what might happen to them. Once Pete Hegseth finishes drinking his lunch we’re going to discuss our military options because this is a disgrace.”
As many readers soon realized, the entire report was fictional. President Trump signed no executive order, and Splash Mountain is not returning to its original Song of the South theme. Despite the satirical nature of the article, some fans were eager to believe the story, with many expressing excitement on social media.
One Instagram user, @nickmcnamerica, wrote, “I love Trump now.”
“Based,” said @philzphanz. “The new ride sucks and Splash Mountain was the best log flume of all time.”
However, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not going anywhere. There are no plans to reinstate the Song of the South log flume ride at Disneyland Park or Magic Kingdom Park. Fans who still long for the original Splash Mountain can experience it at Tokyo Disneyland, where the controversial version of the ride remains unchanged.
Do you prefer Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or Splash Mountain? Disney Dining would love to hear your opinion in the comments!
Some of ya’ll need to stop letting Trump live rent free in your heads. This is one of the dumbest things ever.