Heiress Abigail Disney announced that she will resume her financial support for the Democratic Party after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race.
Earlier this month, Disney, who is the granddaughter of one of the co-founders of The Walt Disney Company, declared that she would halt her contributions until Biden was replaced as the party’s candidate. In an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed her decision to start donating again now that Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
When she initially paused her donations, Disney had expressed her support for Harris, highlighting the vice president’s qualifications. “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,” she stated.
Disney’s withdrawal of support was part of a broader discontent among high-profile Democratic donors following Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. This dissatisfaction from the donor class and reduced funding reportedly contributed to Biden’s decision to exit the race. Following news of Biden’s withdrawal, influential figures like George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also endorsed Harris.