Heiress Abigail Disney announced that she will restart her financial contributions to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to run for reelection.
Disney, whose grandfather was a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, previously declared her intention to stop donating until Biden stepped aside. Following Biden’s withdrawal from the race, where he also expressed support for Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, Disney confirmed her renewed support in an email to CNBC.
When she first made her announcement to halt donations, Disney expressed her backing for Harris, stating, “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 several prominent Democratic donors who expressed dissatisfaction with Biden following a poorly received debate against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that pressure from major donors and a decline in funding contributed to Biden’s decision to exit the race. Following Biden’s announcement, prominent philanthropist George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, also expressed their support for Harris.