Heiress Abigail Disney has announced that she will restart her donations to the Democratic Party following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from his reelection campaign.
Earlier this month, Disney, whose grandfather co-founded The Walt Disney Company, had declared she would halt contributions to the party until a new candidate replaced Biden at the top of the ticket. In a recent email to CNBC, she confirmed her return to supporting the party now that Biden has stepped down and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
When she initially decided to withhold donations, Disney expressed her backing for Harris, emphasizing the Vice President’s capabilities. “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 decision to withdraw financial support was a part of a broader backlash among elite donors in the Democratic Party after Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that the resulting pressure from influential donors and a decrease in funding contributed to Biden’s exit from the race.
Notably, billionaire investor George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also expressed their endorsement of Harris following Biden’s announcement.