Since President Joe Biden unexpectedly withdrew his re-election campaign at the end of July, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place, tensions and rumors about how that came about have swirled unceasingly.
According to inside sources, there is a lot of drama between the president and his old friend Nancy Pelosi. The former House Speaker reportedly told Biden quite bluntly that he would either need to rescind his re-election bid or be publicly shamed because he may not be able to win the 2024 election and keep Donald Trump out of the White House.
This message was apparently given privately to the president while he was presumably laid up and recovering from a COVID-19 infection earlier this summer. Sources say that Pelosi was ready to share stark polling numbers with the public that would practically ruin the president’s ability to win in November.
This information was confirmed by four separate sources, including one who specifically revealed that a phone conversation between the two old friends was the way the ultimatum was communicated. Biden reportedly started to think through his letter of withdrawal right after.
On the first day of the Democratic National Convention this week, Pelosi was asked about the tension between her and Biden, as well as what role she played in his leaving the campaign. The former House Speaker deflected a question about “bad blood” between them and defiantly said she “did what I had to do” when asked if she had spoken to Biden since he left the race.
Pelosi added that her “concern” about the election was “not about” Biden himself but rather “his campaign.” She cited a Democratic lawmaker’s campaign which “immediately” obtained over a thousand campaign volunteers, marking a stark contrast between the lack of support for the Biden campaign.
When CNN’s Jake Tapper noted that “nobody is questioning” that the left-wing party is “better positioned” now compared to when Biden was on the ticket, Pelosi wondered “why” the matter is “even” being discussed at all.
Although she deflected direct questions at the DNC, Pelosi told the media at the beginning of August—about one week after Biden dropped out of the race—that she had not yet spoken to the president since the announcement.
