Heiress Abigail Disney has announced that she will resume donations to the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to seek re-election.
Disney, whose grandfather co-founded The Walt Disney Company, had initially declared earlier this month that she would halt contributions until a new candidate replaced Biden at the top of the ticket. However, in an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed her resumption of support, stating that this change comes after Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
When she first revealed her decision to stop donations, Disney expressed her support for Harris. She stated, “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 dissatisfaction with Biden followed his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump, which reportedly drew the ire of several elite donors within the Democratic Party. This pressure from influential contributors, along with dwindling funds, played a role in Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race.
George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also lent their support to Harris following Biden’s announcement.