Abigail Disney, the heiress and granddaughter of a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, has announced that she will resume her donations to the Democratic Party following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Earlier this month, Disney had stated that she would halt her contributions until a new candidate replaced Biden at the top of the ticket. In an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed her renewed support, stating, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” now that Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
Disney had previously expressed her support for Harris while announcing her intention to withhold donations. She remarked on the capabilities of the Vice President, saying, “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 was among numerous elite Democratic donors who expressed frustration with Biden, particularly following his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that pressure from the donor community and a decline in funding contributed to Biden’s decision to step back from the race.
In addition, high-profile Democratic donors like George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, also endorsed Harris after the news of Biden’s withdrawal.