Heiress Abigail Disney has announced her plan to resume donations to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to seek reelection.
Earlier this month, Disney, who is the granddaughter of one of the co-founders of The Walt Disney Company, had stated that she would withhold any contributions until Biden stepped aside. In an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” following Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
When she initially decided to halt her donations, Disney expressed her support for Harris, emphasizing the Vice President’s strengths. She stated, “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’s decision to pause her donations came amid a backlash from some elite Democratic donors, following Biden’s lackluster debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that pressure from the donor class and a decrease in funding contributed to Biden’s decision to exit the race. Notable Democratic donor George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also endorsed Harris in light of Biden’s withdrawal from the election.