Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who made news last week for suggesting that President Joe Biden should reconsider his decision to run for re-election, has quietly been working the phones in hopes of finding a way to ease him off the ticket, according to recent reports.
"One of her colleagues was struck to see her chatting, furtively but openly, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week in a corner of the House Democratic cloakroom in plain sight of a dozen lawmakers," Politico's Jonathan Martin writes.
"The extent of Pelosi’s behind-the-scenes role hasn’t been fully revealed and may never be if the former speaker has her way," Martin adds. "But I’m told by people familiar with the exchanges that she’s stage-managed phone calls to Jeffries, plotted strategy with the biggest names in Democratic politics and told one former elected official bluntly that Biden’s legacy can’t be destroying their party."
Since the failed assassination attempt on former President Trump, however, concerns from the Democratic caucus have muted, and no additional Democratic members of Congress have come forward to call for Biden's ouster from the campaign.
Now, says Martin, of the Democrats, "Instead of spending Biden’s first term determining who could block Trump’s return, they slept-walked [sic] into Armageddon. Democrats are now attempting to compress what should have been a three-year-long conversation into three weeks, the summer of the election. And they’re speaking in existential terms about the stakes."
As the 2024 presidential election cycle grinds on, there have been growing calls from some within the Democratic Party for Biden to step aside and not seek a second term. Concerns have been raised about Biden's age and perceived cognitive decline, with his performance in the first presidential debate fueling worries among some Democrats about his ability to effectively campaign and govern.
Prominent voices like Pelosi and actor George Clooney have subtly suggested Biden should reconsider running, while a number of Democratic senators and representatives have openly urged him not to stand for re-election. The party has been accused of "burying its head in the sand" over Americans' concerns about Biden's age and mental sharpness, rather than directly addressing the issue.
Pelosi said last Wednesday on Morning Joe—a show Biden is known to actively watch—that “it’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” and that “we’re all encouraging him to make that decision, because time is running short.” Her comments were unprompted, as Biden had already said he was definitively continuing to run.
Some Democrats believe Biden's continued presence on the ticket could damage the party's chances in both the presidential race and congressional elections.
As Biden has insisted he is committed to running again, the efforts to persuade him otherwise have so far made little headway. The president has acknowledged the focus on his age but argues his experience is an asset, particularly in dealing with crises like the war in Ukraine. With the Democratic base still largely supportive of Biden, the party appears divided on whether to rally behind the incumbent or seek a new standard-bearer for 2024.
