Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of a co-founder of the Walt Disney Company told CNBC on Thursday that she plans to stop contributions to the Democrat party following President Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
Disney has been a longtime supporter of Democrats and represents a growing pressure on Biden to end his election bid as panic among Democrats concerning his ability to serve as President spreads.
Disney’s Comments
Abigail Disney, in a statement to CNBC, expressed how the stakes are too high for her to not take such a drastic action.
“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 far too high,” said Disney.
Democrat Weakness
Disney asserted to CNBC that if Biden does not drop out of the race, it will be a disastrous general election for Democrats.
“If Biden does not step down the Democrats will lose. Of that I am absolutely certain. The consequences for the loss will be genuinely dire,” Disney said.
Longtime Supporter
According to an analysis by The Hill, Abagail Disney has given $2 million to federal Democratic candidates and groups since 1992.
This election cycle she has given $63,000, with $50,000 of this figure going to the Jane Fonda Climate Political Action Committee.
Previous Cycle
Disney during the 2020 elections donated a total of $343,460 to help Democrats defeat Republicans.
One $10,000 contribution helped Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia win a runoff that contributed to a flip of control in the Senate.
Recommending Kamala
Speaking to CNBC, Disney put her support behind current Vice President Kamala Harris, thinking she has what it takes to overcome Donald Trump.
“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 said.
Others are Doing the Same
Disney’s move to pause political donations puts her in line with several other public Democratic donors who are putting their money where their mouth is.
“Joe Biden has been a very effective president, but unless he steps aside my family and I are pausing on more than $3 million in planned donations to nonprofits and political organizations aligned with the presidential race, with the exception of some down ballot work,” said Moriah Fund president Gideon Stein. “Virtually every major donor I’ve talked to believes that we need a new candidate in order to defeat Donald Trump.”
Democrat Worries
Ever since the presidential debate last week, Democrats have been in panic mode over the fallout of what voters might think. Even the White House has acknowledged it was a bad debate and has been trying to get people to move on.
“We understand it was a bad night. It is not uncommon for incumbents to have a bad night on their first debate. And we are going to continue to do the work that we have been doing on behalf of the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a Tuesday press briefing.
Falling Behind
A New York Times/Sienna College poll that recorded opinions of likely voters after the debate did not bode well for Biden.
This poll found that Biden had now fallen behind former President Donald Trump by 6 percentage points among likely voters.
Biden Resisting Calls to Step Aside
On Thursday, during a 4th of July event, Biden defiantly declared to a crowd that “I am not going anywhere” in reference to pressure for him to step aside.
“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can as simply and straightforward as I can: “I am running…no one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win,” Biden said during a Zoom call on Wednesday.
Campaign Surrogates
California Governor Gavin Newsom took time to campaign for President Biden across the country this week, hoping to change the conversation about Biden’s debate performance.
“I was asked and tasked by President Biden, proudly, to fly from California to Georgia to represent the campaign right after that debate,” said Newsom.
Character Emphasized
Newsom tried to change the subject about Biden’s supposed mental decline by focusing on his character instead, which he feels is leagues above his opponent Donald Trump.
“I will never turn my back on President Biden,” said Newsom. “I believe in his character.”
