Last month, while explaining his bold decision to withdraw from the presidential race, President Biden expressed particular concern about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments against him.
In his first television interview since dropping out of the race, Biden said he was stepping down as Democratic leader because he was under pressure from Democrats in the House and Senate who worried his comments were hurting his chances of reelection.
“Many of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought I would hurt them in the campaign and were worried that if I continued to run, I would be interviewed about why Nancy Pelosi said this,” he said. [something] … And I thought that was really distracting,” he told “CBS News Sunday Morning.”
“When I first ran, I thought I would be a replacement for the president. I can’t even tell you how old I am. The words just won’t come out of my mouth,” he continued, adding that these factors and the overriding priority of “preserving our democracy” underpinned his decision.
The 81-year-old incumbent president faced a public rebellion by many Democrats after his shocking performance in a debate with Trump in late June.
After dropping out of the race, Biden quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who has since closed in on former President Donald Trump in the polls.
Biden did not elaborate on the potential feud with Pelosi during the interview, but it has been widely reported that she orchestrated the effort to oust Biden, a claim she has not explicitly denied.
Pelosi (Democrat, California), 84; Initially Her defense of Biden sparked a Democratic rebellion among Democrats after the debate, but the honorary chair, known behind the scenes as a ruthless political operative, has since begun to change her tone in public.
“It’s up to the president to decide whether or not he wants to run,” Pelosi said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” rumored to be one of Biden’s favorite political shows. That came two days after Biden penned a letter saying he was “firmly committed” to staying in the race.
Pelosi publicly pressed Biden about polling data showing he could not win the presidential election, and when Biden pushed back, she had longtime adviser Mike Donilon called. CNN reported:.
“Nancy made it clear they could do this the easy way or the hard way,” said one Democrat with knowledge of the private conversations. He told Politico“She gave them three easy weeks. The hard road was about to begin.”
Pelosi has remained silent about the content of the private conversations, publicly insisting she was simply trying to ensure a Democratic victory in the presidential election.
“I didn’t call anyone. I kept my promise. Any conversations I had were going to be with him alone,” she said recently. New Yorker.
But she acknowledged that people have been calling her amid the backlash against Biden.
“People were calling me and telling me there were challenges out there, so there needed to be a change in the leadership of the campaign, otherwise who knows what’s going to happen next,” she added.
As of earlier this month, Pelosi and Biden have yet to speak. When asked about rumors that the president was “furious” with her, she told “CBS News Sunday Morning” that “he knows I love him very much.”
“I pray so much. I cry so much,” she told The New Yorker when asked if their relationship would last. “Yeah, I lose sleep over it.”
