Axelrod: Pelosi’s comments on Biden’s future 'very significant'

Democratic strategist David Axelrod said he thinks former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)’s recent comments about Biden’s candidacy for president are “very significant.”

Axelrod sat down with CNN’s Dana Bash on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing turmoil within the Democratic Party amid growing calls for the president to step down.

Bash asked Axelrod, a longtime adviser to former President Barack Obama, what he thought of Pelosi’s earlier comments on Wednesday in which she said Biden “will decide for himself whether or not he runs” and that Democrats are “all urging him to make that decision.”

“Time is running out,” Pelosi said.

Asked by Bash about the significance of Pelosi’s comments, Axelrod, who has been an outspoken critic of the Biden team in recent weeks, said they were “very significant.”

“Nancy Pelosi is a very careful person. She says what she wants to say,” he said. “She never says anything she doesn’t want to say. She says it for a reason.”

In a letter to Democratic lawmakers on Monday, Biden firmly rejected calls for him to resign, saying talks about a new nominee needed to end and that “it’s time to come together.”

Since then, several Democratic lawmakers have urged the president to reconsider.

Axelrod argued Pelosi’s comments were a response to Biden’s letter.

“And what she’s saying delicately and politely is, ‘No, the conversation isn’t over. We still need to continue this discussion,'” Axelrod said.

The strategist said lawmakers are considering their options and are concerned not only that former President Trump will secure reelection but also that they could lose their House and Senate seats if Biden stays in office.

“So I think the leaders respect the president and they support him and they’re going to defer to him on the decision, but they want to make sure the president is making a decision based on real information,” Axelrod said. “And the real information is not reassuring.”