“Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,” Hastings told The New York Times in an email on Wednesday.
Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, were key donors to the effort to stop the recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Hastings has given several seven-figure donations to support Democrats in the Senate and House via their PACs, according to OpenSecrets.
All told, the couple have given more than $20 million in recent election cycles, including around $1.5 million to Biden’s 2020 campaign.
Many of the president’s biggest supporters, including Newsom and former President Barack Obama, have remained steadfast behind the presumptive Democratic nominee. But polls conducted after the debate have shown cratering public support for a second Biden term.
Still, the president has said he will remain in the race and hopes a major sit-down interview with ABC News this week will help quell any fears about his candidacy.
