Netflix co-founder becomes one of the biggest Democratic donors calling on Biden to resign
Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix and one of the Democratic Party’s biggest donors in recent years, called on President Biden on Wednesday to step down as leader of the Democratic presidential nomination.
Mr. Hastings became one of the first to say publicly what many Democratic megadonors say privately. “Biden must step aside to let a strong Democratic leader defeat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,” he said in an email to The Times.
Mr. Biden and White House officials have said he has no plans to step aside. But Mr. Hastings’ public comments are a new chink in the armor of support for the president.
Mr. Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, joined the Democratic Party’s most generous donor pool during the Trump era. Together, they have given more than $20 million to the party in recent years, including a whopping $1.5 million to support Mr. Biden in the 2020 presidential race and $100,000 last summer to support Mr. Biden in 2024. The bulk of their donations have gone to super PACs aimed at helping Democrats in the House and Senate.
Some Hollywood leaders, who toasted Mr. Biden at a splashy fundraiser last month, are beginning to make their reservations public. On Tuesday, powerful agent Ari Emanuel said expressed his own frustrations.
The political issue that Mr. Hastings has long been closely associated with is education reform, while Ms. Quillin has a particular emphasis on racial justice. Mr. Hastings has had a close relationship of late with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, one of the people being discussed as a possible replacement for Mr. Biden, and donated $3 million in 2021 to help Mr. Newsom defeat the recall election he faced.
Mr. Hastings helped found Netflix nearly three decades ago and is now its executive chairman. He stepped down from the CEO role in January 2023, in part to devote more time to his philanthropy, politics and his true passion, skiing.
Rebecca Davis O’Brien contributed reporting.
