A Disney heiress says she plans to stop donating to the Democratic Party unless President Biden drops out of the 2024 race following his dismal debate performance against former President Trump last week.
“I intend to stop any contributions to the party unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket. This is realism, not disrespect. Biden is a good man and has served his country admirably, but the stakes are too high,” said Abigail Disney, granddaughter of The Walt Disney Company co-founder Roy O. Disney. told CNBC Thursday.
“If Biden doesn’t resign, the Democrats will lose. Of this I am absolutely certain. The consequences of the loss will be genuinely dire,” he added.
Disney is a longtime Democratic donor, contributing nearly $2 million to federal Democratic candidates, committees and groups since 1992, according to The Hill’s analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) Contributions.
She has donated a total of $63,000 so far this cycle, including a $50,000 contribution to the Jane Fonda Climate PAC in April.
Disney donated $343,460 during the 2020 election cycle, according to FEC contribution data, including a $10,000 contribution to the Warnock Victory Fund during now-Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.) critical runoff. ) Against Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.). Warnock’s victory helped flip the Democrats to gain control of the Senate that cycle.
Biden, 81, sparked concern last week when he appeared to lose his train of thought, forget his words and stare into space during the first presidential debate against Trump last week.
The campaign acknowledged it was a poor performance but rejected calls for him to quit, arguing that his record over the past three and a half years exceeds his performance in a 90-minute debate.
“We understand it was a bad night. It’s not uncommon for incumbents to have a bad night in the first debate. And we will continue to do the work we have been doing on behalf of the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
The Democratic Party has largely supported its leader, but in recent days some have split.
Three House Democrats have called for Biden to resign since Tuesday. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) told Boston-area radio station WBUR on Thursday that Biden should step down and “let new leaders rise up.”
Some Democrats have pondered whether Vice President Harris would be a stronger candidate than Biden in the November election, a sentiment Disney echoed in his statement to CNBC.
“We have an excellent vice president. If Democrats tolerated any of their perceived shortcomings, even a tenth as much as they tolerated Biden’s (and let’s not kid ourselves about where race and gender figure in that inequality), and if Democrats could find a way to stop discuss and unite around it, we can win this election by a lot,” said Disney.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
