Experts said US President Joe Biden's performance was lackluster and unimpressive in his debate with Donald Trump
President Joe Biden's debate performance didn't impress many Democratic supporters, including some of the wealthier ones. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Abigail Disney said she will stop donations until Biden is replaced
  • Netflix's Reed Hastings said Biden should allow a "vigorous" replacement to beat Trump
  • Rep. Lloyd Doggett was the first House Dem to publicly call on the POTUS to withdraw

A host of wealthy donors who have been supporting the Democratic Party are starting to express their disapproval of incumbent President Joe Biden as the candidate pitted against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. They mean no disrespect, but they believe the first U.S. presidential debate should have triggered a reality check.

In a lengthy statement to CNBC on Thursday, Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, said she believes "Democrats will lose" the November 2024 elections if Biden refuses to step down from the race.

"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," she pointed out.

Earlier this week, the Biden campaign engaged with "anxious" donors in a Zoom call wherein concerns about the current president's fitness for office were raised, Axios reported. One donor told the outlet that the campaign team didn't provide assuring evidence to support their claim that internal polling suggests support for Biden is largely unchanged.

However, it appears the Zoom call didn't do much damage control. On Wednesday, Netflix founder Reed Hastings said Biden "needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous." He also posted a story by The Economist on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday, noting "why Biden must withdraw."

Following last week's performance during the debate, the White House has been trying to provide the public with assurance that Biden can still run the race and run the country. However, it's not just the donors' anxiety that needs fixing.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first House Democratic representative to publicly urge the president to withdraw from the race and allow someone else to take on Trump. He said he had to come out "with a heavy heart," expecting that the veteran politician will "put the country first."

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