Abigail Disney, heiress and granddaughter of Walt Disney Co. co-founder, announced she will restart her donations to the Democratic Party following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
Earlier this month, Disney stated that she would halt contributions until Biden stepped aside. In an email to CNBC, she confirmed her renewed support, stating, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” now that Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
When she initially decided to stop her donations, Disney expressed her backing for Harris, highlighting the Vice President’s potential to unite the party. “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 decision to withdraw support was part of a larger wave of discontent among elite Democratic donors following Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that this dissatisfaction from major donors played a role in Biden’s decision to exit the race. Additionally, financier George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also thrown their support behind Harris in light of Biden’s announcement.