Abigail Disney, an heiress and granddaughter of a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, announced that she will resume her financial contributions to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to seek reelection. Earlier this month, she had declared that she would cease donations until Biden was replaced at the top of the ticket.
In an email to CNBC on Monday, Disney confirmed her continued support, stating, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” following Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
When she initially decided to withhold her donations, Disney had also expressed her support for Harris, emphasizing the need for the Democratic Party to rally around her. “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 stated.
Disney was among several prominent Democratic donors who expressed dissatisfaction with Biden following his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports indicate that the pressure from influential donors and a decline in funding contributed to Biden’s decision to exit the race. Notably, financier George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also voiced their support for Harris after the announcement of Biden’s withdrawal.