Heiress Abigail Disney announced that she plans to resume her donations to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has opted not to seek reelection.
Earlier this month, Disney stated she would cease her contributions until Biden was replaced at the top of the ticket. However, in an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed her intention to support the party again after Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.
When she first declared her decision to halt donations, Disney expressed her backing for Harris, asserting the Vice President’s qualifications. She mentioned, “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’s withdrawal of support from Biden reflected a broader dissatisfaction among elite Democratic donors, particularly following his underwhelming debate performance against former President Donald Trump. This unrest within the donor class is said to have contributed to Biden’s decision to step back from the race.
Notably, philanthropist George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, also expressed their endorsement for Harris following the announcement of Biden’s exit from the presidential race.