Abigail Disney, a prominent heiress and philanthropist, announced that she will resume her donations to the Democratic Party following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Disney, whose family has deep ties to The Walt Disney Company, previously stated that she would halt her contributions until a new candidate was chosen to lead the party.
In an email sent to CNBC, Disney confirmed, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” after Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency. When she initially decided to withhold her donations, Disney expressed her backing for Harris.
“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 among several elite donors within the Democratic Party who expressed dissatisfaction with Biden following his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports indicate that pressure from this donor base contributed to Biden’s choice to exit the race. Notable donors such as George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, also endorsed Harris after the announcement of Biden’s withdrawal.