18-7-2024 (WASHINGTON) Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has privately expressed grave concerns to President Joe Biden about his chances of winning the 2024 presidential election. Sources close to the matter report that Pelosi, in a recent telephone conversation with the President, warned that unfavourable polling data suggests Biden may be unable to defeat former President Donald Trump in a potential rematch.
The conversation, which reportedly took place within the past week, marks the second known discussion between the California lawmaker and Biden since the President’s widely criticised debate performance on 27 June. According to four sources briefed on the call, Pelosi went further, cautioning that Biden’s continued pursuit of a second term could jeopardise the Democrats’ chances of regaining control of the House of Representatives in November.
President Biden, however, is said to have pushed back against Pelosi’s assertions, citing alternative polls that paint a more optimistic picture of his re-election prospects. One source described the President as becoming defensive about the polling data, leading Pelosi to request that Mike Donilon, a longstanding Biden adviser, join the call to discuss the figures in greater detail.
This revelation comes on the heels of Pelosi’s public statement last week, in which she notably remarked, “It’s up to the President to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.” Her comments have been interpreted by many as a thinly veiled suggestion that Biden should consider stepping aside.
The White House has refrained from directly addressing the specifics of the reported conversation. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stated, “President Biden is the nominee of the party. He plans to win and looks forward to working with congressional Democrats to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pelosi has stated that the former Speaker has been in California since Friday and has not spoken to Biden since then, leaving the exact timing of the reported conversation unclear.
This development underscores the growing unease within the Democratic Party regarding Biden’s candidacy. As the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, concerns about his age and perceived decline in cognitive acuity have been mounting, particularly in light of recent public gaffes and the aforementioned debate performance.
The reported exchange between Pelosi and Biden highlights the delicate balance the Democratic Party must strike between loyalty to their incumbent president and strategic considerations for maintaining power in both the executive and legislative branches.
