Abigail Disney, an heiress and granddaughter of one of the co-founders of The Walt Disney Company, announced she would resume her financial support for the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to seek a second term. Earlier this month, Disney had stated that she would withhold contributions until the party replaced Biden at the top of the ticket.
In an email to CNBC on Monday, Disney confirmed her decision to support the party again, citing Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. When she initially announced her intention to halt donations, she expressed her backing for Harris, highlighting her qualifications for the presidential role.
“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 remarked.
Disney was part of a group of prominent Democratic donors who became disenchanted with Biden following his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggested that pressure from donors and dwindling funding contributed to Biden’s decision to step down. Notably, George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, also expressed their support for Harris after Biden’s announcement.