Heiress Abigail Disney has announced her intention to resume donations to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to seek reelection.
Disney, whose grandfather co-founded The Walt Disney Co., had previously stated that she would withhold donations until Biden was replaced at the top of the ticket. She made this announcement earlier this month, expressing her concern over Biden’s candidacy.
In a response to CNBC on Monday, Disney confirmed, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” following Biden’s withdrawal from the race and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
Disney has been a vocal supporter of Harris, even when she initially decided to halt her contributions. She emphasized Harris’s qualifications and urged the Democratic Party to rally around her, addressing issues of race and gender that she believes have affected perceptions of the Vice President.
“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 stated.
Disney’s dissatisfaction with Biden was shared by other high-profile Democratic donors, particularly after Biden’s poor performance in a debate against former President Donald Trump. The subsequent withdrawal of financial support from key donors contributed to Biden’s decision to bow out of the race, according to reports.
In addition to Disney, philanthropist George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also endorsed Harris following Biden’s decision to step aside.