Some House Democrats are tired of Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) analysis of Vice President Kamala Harris' loss to President-elect Donald Trump on Election Day, with one lawmaker saying she believes that the time has come for him to “take a seat at the table.”
Pelosi, 84, sparked outrage within the Democratic caucus after telling the New York Times last week: [President Biden] “If I had come out sooner, there might have been other candidates in the race,” she said, adding that she preferred an “open primary” to replace the 81-year-old Biden on the Democratic ticket. It was suggested that he was deaf.
“She needs a seat at the table,” says one Democratic lawmaker. told Axiosin response to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives' comments.
“Making scattered comments is not only unhelpful, it is harmful,” he added.
Another House Democrat objected to Pelosi appearing to be speaking on behalf of her party rather than House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
“Mr. Hakeem has treated her with great grace and respect, but I don't think she respects him,” a member of the Congressional Black Caucus told the publication.
The lawmaker added: “I understand this is a difficult transition for her as she is not a leader, but she is not.” “She needs to understand what her new role is.”
The report said Pelosi, who was central to pushing Biden out of the 2024 race, “continues to instill fear” in House Democrats, which is why both lawmakers spoke on condition of anonymity. he suggested.
A spokeswoman for Pelosi insisted that the former House speaker has high regard for Jeffries.
“Speaker Pelosi is extremely proud of the skillful management of Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the House Democratic Caucus,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We should all celebrate the tremendous progress House Democrats have made under his leadership.”
Jeffries replaced Pelosi as the caucus leader after Democrats lost their House majority in the 2022 midterm elections.
