Pelosi Addresses Biden’s Ouster: ‘My Concerns Were About the Campaign, Not the Fabulous President’

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addressed President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign, emphasising that her concerns were centred on the campaign rather than the president as a candidate.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tells CNN’s Amanpour why she felt that President Biden not seeking re-election was the correct decision. (Screenshot/CNN)

In an interview with CNN host Christiane Amanpour that aired Saturday morning, Pelosi responded to inquiries about reports of her influence in Biden’s decision to step down.

“My concerns were around the campaign, not about the candidate,” Pelosi stated, affirming her admiration for Biden: “He’s fabulous.” Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had previously urged Biden to step aside after a disappointing debate performance in June.

Pelosi told Amanpour she had concerns with Biden’s re-election campaign, not with him as the candidate. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

When asked by Amanpour if she had spoken to Biden since he was replaced at the top of the ticket by Vice President Kamala Harris, Pelosi mentioned, “I haven’t spoken to him since July… but of course, we’ve been out of session for a while, and I’ve been on the campaign trail constantly.” She respected the president’s substantial legacy, stating, “It is our legacy, too. I did not want that to be lost.”

However, she voiced her concerns about the campaign’s direction, saying, “But the campaign, I thought, was not going in the right direction, and I expressed my concern.”

In a recent interview on The Guardian’s Politics Weekly America podcast, Pelosi reiterated her respect for Biden, calling him “one of the great consequential presidents of our country.” She highlighted the need to protect his legacy and noted her desire to improve the campaign. “My call was: ‘Let’s get on a better course.’ He will decide as to what that is. And he made that decision,” she added.

During an August interview with CBS News, Biden acknowledged that Democratic lawmakers had urged him to step aside, stating, “A number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races.” He expressed concern that staying in the race would distract from other topics.

When Amanpour asked Pelosi whether the Democratic Party could have won the election if Biden remained on the ticket, she found it difficult to answer, saying, “I don’t understand how anybody could vote for Donald Trump, but they do, and so we have to be prepared.” Pelosi also admitted to concerns regarding Biden’s age as a potential challenge for the party, noting, “I do think there was a generational thing… so old to be running for president.”