Heiress Abigail Disney has announced that she will resume her financial support for the Democratic Party now that President Joe Biden has decided not to seek reelection. Earlier this month, Disney, whose grandfather was one of the co-founders of The Walt Disney Company, stated that she would halt her contributions unless Biden stepped aside.
In an email to CNBC on Monday, she confirmed her decision to renew support, stating, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” following Biden’s exit from the race and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
When she initially decided to withhold 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 after what they perceived as a poor performance in a debate against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggest that the pressure from major donors and a decline in financial contributions contributed to Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race.
In addition, billionaire George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, have also thrown their support behind Harris following Biden’s announcement.