Abigail Disney, an heiress and granddaughter of a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, announced that she will resume her donations to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has opted not to seek reelection. Earlier this month, she had declared her intention to halt financial contributions to the party until there was a change at the top of the ticket.
In a statement to CNBC on Monday, Disney confirmed, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” following Biden’s decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. At the time she paused her donations, Disney expressed her support for Harris, praising her capabilities as Vice President.
Disney pointed out the inequalities faced by Harris in comparison to Biden, noting, “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.”
Her initial withdrawal of support was part of a broader discontent among elite Democratic donors in response to Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports indicate that pressure from influential donors and reduced funding contributed to Biden’s decision not to run for reelection. Notably, billionaire George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also expressed their endorsement for Harris following Biden’s announcement.