Abigail Disney said Thursday she intends to halt her donations to the Democratic party until President Biden steps down from the presidential election.
“I intend to stop any contributions to the party unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket,” Disney, the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, told CNBC. Her statement is one of several from high-profile entertainment leaders and Democratic donors to call for the president to step aside after last week’s debate.
“This is realism, not disrespect. Biden is a good man and has served his country admirably, but the stakes are far too high,” she continued. “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.”
On Wednesday, Netflix co-founder and major Democratic donor Reed Hastings told the New York Times that “Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous.” Prior to that, WME chief Ari Emanuel criticized Biden’s debate performance and asserted the 81-year-old president is too old for reelection.
“I had a father who died at 92, but at 81 I took away his car, and it was a very simple test for me,” Emanuel said. “If you were driving from downtown Beverly Hills to Malibu, would you want Biden to do it at night? Would you want Trump to do it at night? If the answer is neither, you cannot have them running a $27 trillion company called the United States.”
Biden will face the press again this Friday in an interview with George Stephanopoulos, which will air in a primetime slot that same evening, with an extended version coming Sunday.
