Abigail Disney, an heiress and granddaughter of one of the co-founders of The Walt Disney Company, announced her decision to resume donations to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has officially stepped away from his re-election campaign.
Earlier this month, Disney stated that she would halt contributions to the Democratic Party until Biden was replaced at the top of the ticket. However, in an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed her support, saying, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” following Biden’s withdrawal and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate.
When announcing her previous decision to stop donations, Disney expressed her support for Harris, emphasizing the Vice President’s strong 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 remarked.
Disney’s initial refusal to support Biden echoed the sentiments of other high-profile Democratic donors, who expressed dissatisfaction with Biden’s debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that the pressure from these donors, coupled with a decline in financial support, played a role in Biden’s decision to exit the race. Following Biden’s announcement, prominent figures like George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, also expressed their endorsement for Harris.