Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) clashed with journalist Katie Couric in an interview when she was asked about Democrats’ “transparency” regarding President Biden’s health.
Couric was referring to a passage in Pelosi’s new book that warns there should have been “interference” to thwart Trump’s reelection campaign because of his claims in the 2020 presidential election. Couric questioned whether Democrats should have also intervened when Biden dropped out of the reelection campaign last month after coming under pressure from Pelosi and other Democratic leaders over concerns about his mental health and whether he could beat Trump.
“But, with all due respect, when I read this, I thought, ‘Could the same thing be said about President Biden?'” Couric asked Pelosi.“Shouldn’t people have realized sooner that he might not have the stamina to withstand a reelection campaign and lead the Democratic Party to a favorable position in this election?”
Journalist Katie Couric questioned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about Democrats’ transparency regarding concerns about President Biden’s age. (Getty Images)
Pelosi denies having “good” relationship with Biden: “I’d have to ask him”
Pelosi and other Democratic leaders reportedly privately pleaded with Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race weeks after his disastrous debate defeat with Trump, arguing that polls were showing him losing and that it would undermine the Democrats’ chances of winning. Biden ultimately withdrew on July 21, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Pelosi told Couric, Daily Callerthe two situations were “completely different.”
“Whether I think I have the stamina to run again and serve another four years is up to me. [the question of] “It’s not about whether he’s undermining our democracy,” she responded. “It’s about the harm he’s done to the country, the instability he’s brought, and the anti-patriotic attitudes he has had. [physically] He was healthy enough to do this and that… That was a distortion of the facts and misinformation given to the public.”
“It’s a totally different situation. If it’s just a question of whether someone has the stamina [serve] We’ve been working on it for four years now, and they’re not working on it.”
President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race on July 21 after weeks of pressure from members of his own party to step down.
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Couric asked again whether Democrats should have been “more transparent” about Biden’s health.
Pelosi repeated twice that the situations were not “comparable,” but Couric pushed back.
“But that doesn’t answer the question of whether there should have been more transparency,” Couric said. “With less than 100 days until the election, wouldn’t it hurt Democrats if President Biden was overly protected and hidden from the public for so long?”
Pelosi again dodged the question, repeating, “He is not the nominee.”
“Should this have been addressed sooner?” Couric asked.
Katie Couric questioned Nancy Pelosi about Democrats’ “transparency” regarding President Biden’s health during the 2024 presidential election.
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Pelosi said Biden has been “performing at his best” both before and since the debate, and pointed to the success of last week’s prisoner swap to bring home journalist Evan Gershkovich and others.
The 84-year-old Democrat has repeatedly defended Biden in media interviews against criticism over his age, telling Couric that she first witnessed Biden’s decline during the June debate.
“Whatever the family’s decision is, I worked with Biden quite a bit. I never saw anything like that because we worked together all the time,” he said. [him] Earlier in the day, he had been more in control than I had seen that night. [of the debate] saw it for the first time…. [But] “He’s not running, the other guy is,” she insisted.
