The Disney heir said she plans to stop donating to Democrats unless President Biden withdraws from the 2024 presidential race following his disappointing performance in last week’s debate with former President Trump.
“I will stop donating to the party unless an alternative candidate to Biden emerges. This is reality and it’s no disrespect. Biden is a good man and has served our country well, but the stakes are too high,” said Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, co-founder of The Walt Disney Company. He told CNBC Thursday.
“If Biden doesn’t step down, the Democrats will lose. I’m absolutely certain of that. The consequences of a defeat would be truly devastating,” she added.
Disney has been a longtime donor to the Democratic Party, giving nearly $2 million to federal Democratic candidates, committees and organizations since 1992, according to an analysis by The Hill. Federal Election Commission (FEC) Contributions.
She has donated a total of $63,000 so far this term, including a $50,000 donation to the Jane Fonda Climate PAC in April.
According to FEC donation data, Disney donated $343,460 during the 2020 election cycle, including $10,000 to the Warnock Victory Fund during the crucial runoff election between incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.). Warnock’s victory helped Democrats win control of the Senate during that election.
Biden, 81, sparked concern last week when he appeared to lose his train of thought, forget words and stare into space during the first presidential debate with Trump.
The campaign acknowledged the debate was a poor performance but rejected calls for it to withdraw, arguing that Trump’s record over the past three and a half years outweighs his performance in a 90-minute debate.
“We know it was a bad night. It’s not unusual for incumbents to have a bad night in a first debate. We’re going to continue to do the work we’ve been doing for the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The Democratic Party has generally supported its leader, but has recently seen some divisions.
Three House Democrats have called for Biden to step down since Tuesday. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., told Boston-area radio station WBUR on Thursday that Biden should step down and “let new leadership stand up.”
Some Democrats are considering whether Vice President Harris would be a stronger candidate than Biden in the November election, a sentiment Disney echoed in a statement to CNBC.
“We have a great vice president, and if Democrats can tolerate even a tenth of what they perceive as her flaws as they have tolerated Biden’s flaws — and make no mistake about how race and gender relate to those inequalities — and if Democrats can find a way to stop bickering and rally around her, we can win this election by a large margin,” Disney said.
