President Biden acknowledged in his first TV interview since last month's major announcement that Democratic Party leaders forced him to exit the presidential race. He specifically mentioned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a key figure involved. So, Was Pelosi the one who was phenomenal in ousting Biden?
Biden explained that Democrats in both the House and Senate were concerned his campaign might jeopardize their chances of winning reelection. He also noted that continuing his campaign would likely lead to too many distractions. The incumbent president, 81, encountered widespread rebellion from several Democrats following his surprising debate performance against Trump in late June and was quit the Presidential race.
Pelosi Killed Biden
"When I first ran, I saw myself as a transitional president. I can hardly even say how old I am — it's difficult for me to admit," he continued, explaining that a mix of these factors, along with a crucial focus on "preserving this democracy," influenced his decision.
The incumbent president, 81, faced a wave of dissent from many Democrats after his unexpected debate performance against Trump at the end of June.
Following his withdrawal from the race, Biden quickly threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who has since gained momentum in the polls against former President Donald Trump.
During the interview, Biden didn't delve into any potential conflicts with Pelosi. However, it has been widely reported that Pelosi played a key role in the effort to push Biden out, a claim she has not explicitly denied.
Pelosi (D-Calif.), 84, initially defended Biden when the Democratic revolt began after the debate, but later, the speaker emeritus, known for her behind-the-scenes political maneuvering, began to shift her public stance.
"It's the president's decision whether or not he will run," Pelosi stated on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," a show rumored to be one of Biden's preferred political programs. Her comments came just two days after Biden wrote a letter expressing that he was "firmly committed" to staying in the race.
Behind the scenes, Pelosi confronted Biden with polling data suggesting he couldn't win the presidential election. When he resisted, she had him put his longtime adviser, Mike Donilon, on the phone, according to a CNN report.
"Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way," one Democrat who had knowledge of the private conversations told Politico. "She gave them three weeks of the easy way. It was about to be the hard way."
Pelosi has remained tight-lipped about the details of her private conversations, publicly stating that her only goal was to ensure Democrats had a winning presidential campaign.
Dirty game Begins
The two Democrats have known each other for decades. Despite her lukewarm public statements and behind-the-scenes maneuvers, many noticed that key Pelosi allies, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), also joined the growing number of Democrats urging Biden to step aside.
Since Biden's withdrawal, Pelosi has mostly praised him, calling him a "consequential" president and even suggesting he deserves a place on Mount Rushmore. However, she did admit that she had "never been that impressed with his political operation."
Biden still didn't admit that he was badly trailing Trump in the race, instead claiming that polls showed a matchup between him and Trump "would have been down to the wire." He also repeated his explanation of being unwell on the night of the debate.
"I had a really, really bad day in that debate because I was sick," he said.
Biden was surrounded by his family after addressing the American people from the Oval Office, where he explained his decision to withdraw from the race.
"My grandchildren call me Pop, my children call me Dad. And they said they were proud and it mattered," he said.
"Whenever I have a decision that's really hard to make, I literally ask myself, what a Beau do," he added about his late son who succumbed to brain cancer in 2015. "He should be sitting there being interviewed, not me. He was really a fine man. You know, Beau was committed to my staying committed."
The president shared that before Beau passed away, they had a conversation in which Beau urged his father to remain involved in politics.
Biden also expressed concern that he's "not confident at all" about the possibility of a peaceful transition of power if Trump loses the November 5 election. He revealed plans to join Kamala Harris on the campaign trail, hinting at a visit to Pennsylvania with Governor Josh Shapiro (D).
