Nancy Pelosi is reportedly working under the radar to remove Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential race as concerns continue over his ability to win a second term.
The former House speaker last spoke publicly about Biden on Wednesday, saying: He did not go so far as to explicitly tell the president Joe Biden to remain in the presidential race.
However, Pelosi has reportedly been working the halls of Congress, speaking to as many powerful Democrats as possible to try to come up with a plan that will get Biden to reconsider his decision.
He is said to have sounded out everyone from Democrats in key districts who fear Biden will drag their careers down to lower office, to longtime veterans in deeply blue parts of the country.
One Democratic lawmaker anonymously described her as “very concerned” about Biden and did not necessarily make clear that “we will stick with (Biden).”
Nancy Pelosi is reportedly working under the radar to remove Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential race as concerns continue over his ability to win a second term.
The former House speaker last spoke publicly about Biden on Wednesday, stopping short of explicitly telling President Joe Biden to stay in the presidential race.
Another said Pelosi’s message was: “The stakes are too high. We can’t afford to do anything but take our best chance to win.”
He is reportedly concerned that the Biden campaign’s response to the disastrous debate in Atlanta that sparked this controversy two weeks ago was neither “an honest analysis” nor “an objective analysis.”
Another anonymous Democrat said: ‘It’s very clear that she doesn’t think this issue is resolved and that Joe Biden’s statement: ‘I’m running; shut up,’ she said: ‘No, we’re still talking about this.’
Pelosi is rumored to represent members who feel Biden’s continued presence in the race is being “forced” upon them.
“The Biden team made clear what their strategy was: ignore the problem, run out the clock and force the rest of us to live with it,” said Adam Smith of Washington, who called on Biden to walk away.
A Pelosi spokesperson said The hill a message similar to the one he delivered on MSNBC on Wednesday.
“Speaker Pelosi fully supports whatever decision President Biden makes. We must focus on why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy,” said Ian Krager.
Asked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe if Biden has her support, the former House speaker said: “It’s up to the president to decide whether he’s going to run or not. We all encourage him to make that decision because time is running out.”
Pelosi is rumored to represent members who feel Biden’s continued presence in the race is being “forced” upon them.
Asked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe if Biden has her support, the former House speaker said: “It’s up to the president to decide whether he’s going to run. We all encourage him to make that decision because time is running out.”
Reminded that Biden has already made his decision, Pelosi said, “I want him to do whatever he decides to do.”
“Whatever he decides, we will do.”
Biden wrote in a letter to Capitol Hill Democrats on Tuesday: “I want you to know that, despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the finish, and to beating Donald Trump.”
Pelosi, 84, and Biden, 81, have crossed paths in Washington for decades. She is one of his biggest defenders on Capitol Hill.
She said Democrats should “let him deal with the NATO conference” taking place in Washington, DC this week and “wait” for the public trial “until we see how we do this week.”
Pelosi was silent as she emerged from a meeting of all House Democrats on Tuesday, where they discussed the future of their likely presidential nominee.
Asked about Pelosi’s comments, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters he would not comment on them until he had spoken with her.
Democratic leader Katherine Clark said of the remarks: “Our view has not changed. President Biden is the nominee. There is no clear distinction between our caucus and the work we’ve done with this administration and the work we’ll do going forward. As always, this decision is up to the president.”
Pelosi, 84, and Biden, 81, have crossed paths in Washington for decades. She is one of his biggest defenders on Capitol Hill.
So far, at least seven House Democrats have demanded that Biden step aside in official remarks. Others have flirted with the idea or expressed a similar sentiment behind closed doors.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said he believes Biden will cause Democrats to lose in Tuesday’s election.
“I think Donald Trump is on track to win this election, and perhaps win it by a landslide and carry the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Bennet said.
“I think we could lose everything,” he told CNN.