Heiress Abigail Disney has announced that she will renew her donations to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to seek reelection.
Earlier this month, Disney, whose grandfather helped establish The Walt Disney Company, stated her intention to halt contributions to the party until a new candidate replaced Biden at the top of the ticket. However, in an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” following Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
When she initially declared her decision to withhold donations, Disney expressed her support for Harris. She emphasized the vice president’s strengths, saying, “We have an excellent Vice President. If Democrats would tolerate any of her perceived shortcomings even one-tenth as much as they have tolerated Biden’s (and let’s not kid ourselves about where race and gender figure in that inequity) and if Democrats can find a way to stop quibbling and rally around her, we can win this election by a lot.”
Disney was among a group of elite Democratic donors who expressed dissatisfaction with Biden after his underwhelming performance in a debate against former President Donald Trump. Reports indicate that pressure from the donor class and a decline in funding contributed to Biden’s decision to step back from the race. Following this development, prominent figures like George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also publicly endorsed Harris.