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Disney heiress joins notorious group on bold new mission: '[Make them] squirm in their seats'

"We are going to bring that exact same energy to the fight."

Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, is doubling down on her longstanding commitment to climate justice — this time by joining forces with one of the country’s most disruptive youth-led climate organizations, Climate Defiance.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Abigail Disney, filmmaker, activist, and granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, is doubling down on her longstanding commitment to climate justice — this time by joining forces with one of the country's most disruptive youth-led climate organizations, Climate Defiance.

According to Politico, the heiress recently appeared alongside group leader Michael Greenberg at a Manhattan fundraiser, helping raise over $70,000 to fuel the organization's next chapter: "Project 2026." The initiative marks a new phase for Climate Defiance as it pivots to confronting the Trump administration and what it calls "the fascists in power."

Founded during the Biden presidency, Climate Defiance became notorious for its confrontational tactics — crashing high-profile political events and confronting officials like Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and climate adviser John Podesta. The group's goal, Greenberg said, is to make politicians "squirm in their seats" until they take climate threats seriously.

Now, as the political landscape shifts, the organization is taking aim at what it calls "the entire political establishment" — from MAGA Republicans to moderate Democrats — through direct-action campaigns designed to expose complacency and corporate influence. Disney, who has used her platform for years to call out wealth inequality and corporate greed (including within her own family's empire), appears to see the partnership as a natural extension of her activism.

"The terrain is getting harder, but we are going to bring that exact same energy to the fight," Greenberg told supporters at the event, where Disney and other progressive leaders, including former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), addressed the crowd.

Disney's involvement underscores a growing intersection between philanthropy and radical climate action — an effort to channel wealth and influence toward groups demanding accountability from those in power. Her participation also reflects a broader trend among younger generations of activists and donors who are rejecting incrementalism in favor of urgency and disruption.

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While their methods are controversial, Climate Defiance's leaders argue that civil disobedience has historically been essential to progress — from suffrage to civil rights. As Greenberg said at the fundraiser, "To sit back or cower because of fear is what they want us to do."

Disney's move may raise eyebrows among traditional philanthropists, but for Climate Defiance, her support brings visibility — and credibility — to a movement unafraid to rattle the political elite. "We're going to go after the oligarchs," Greenberg declared. "And we're not backing down."

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