Former US President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have privately expressed ‘concerns’ about Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign, highlighting the increasing ‘difficulty’ they foresee in his chances against Donald Trump, CNN reported.
However, both the former president and the ex-speaker are uncertain about the next steps to take.
There is an urgent desperation within the Democratic Party to end the current infighting and refocus on defeating former president Trump.
Party members are appealing to either Obama or Pelosi to guide them, recognising that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer lacks Biden’s trust and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t have a strong enough relationship with Biden to effectively deliver critical messages.
CNN reported citing its discussions with over a dozen Congress members, operatives, and individuals, who are in touch with both Obama and Pelosi reveal a consensus: the end of Biden’s candidature feels inevitable, and it’s now a matter of how it will unfold, even after Thursday night’s news conference. If Obama and Pelosi believe otherwise, several leading Democrats argue they need to state it clearly and soon to mitigate further damage just months before the election.
Many of Pelosi’s colleagues are looking to her to resolve the turmoil within the party. A significant portion believes that resolution will come if and when she advises Biden to withdraw from the race. Pelosi has spoken with Biden since the debate but has indicated through an aide that she doesn’t see Biden’s decision to remain in the race as final. She declined further comment.
Obama, on the other hand, has refrained from making any public comments for two weeks, leaving many leading Democrats feeling abandoned by his typically non-dramatic stance. After the debate, he posted on X, “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” a sentiment he echoed at a New York fundraiser for House Democrats.
According to CNN, this was a coordinated effort between Biden and Obama aides to draw parallels with Obama’s own rough debate during his 2012 re-election campaign, which didn’t derail his campaign.
Obama’s growing skepticism about Biden’s ability to win reelection is an open secret in Washington. When historians examine this remarkable two-week period in American politics, the influence of Obama and Pelosi will be more evident, serving as guiding figures for a party in distress.
“They are watching and waiting for President Biden to reach a decision on his own,” said a longtime Democrat close to both Obama and Pelosi, speaking anonymously to avoid showing disrespect to Biden. The Biden campaign has declined to comment on this matter.
While Pelosi’s spokesperson doesn’t contest that she and Obama have discussed Biden, they insist no member of Congress would know the details of such conversations. Obama has been more of a listener than a talker in his interactions with anxious Democratic donors and officials, avoiding firm positions that might leak.
This was also his approach in a call with Biden post-debate, where he played the role of a “sounding board and private counselor,” probing and playing devil’s advocate without taking a firm stance.
Some Democrats over the past two weeks said that Obama dismissed the idea that he could influence Biden’s decision, reflecting their long-standing but complex relationship. Since leaving office, the two have spoken far less frequently than some of their advisers have implied.
If Obama were to push Biden to step down, it could be seen through a prism of their past interactions. Biden, for instance, may still feel Obama wasn’t supportive enough when he considered entering the 2016 Democratic primaries after his son Beau’s death. Obama’s intention then was to help Biden focus on his grief rather than wade into a tough primary against Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but another conversation might not be interpreted the same way, CNN reported.
“Biden would say, ‘Well, Mr President, you already used that chip in 2015 and it got us Donald Trump,'” speculated a longtime 2020 campaign aide. “I think it would harden him more.”
Obama is also wary of giving Trump any new material by getting actively involved. In past instances, such as the 2020 Democratic primaries, Obama has positioned himself as a unifier, validating the party’s direction. So far, he hasn’t committed to playing that role in the current turmoil over Biden’s candidature.
Obama has supported Biden at two fundraising events this year, including a Los Angeles event last month where George Clooney later expressed alarm at Biden’s condition. Biden had flown overnight across five time zones after G-7 meetings to attend, something Obama questioned even on the way there.
“He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney wrote in a New York Times essay, urging Biden to step aside. This essay infuriated some Biden loyalists, who suspected Obama was behind Clooney’s piece. Obama, friendly with Clooney, was aware of the essay but didn’t stop it, maintaining neutrality, according to some defenders, while Biden loyalists saw it as betrayal.
Obama was with Biden much longer than Clooney during the event, and some attributed Biden’s condition to jet lag. An Obama aide declined to comment on whether this was still an assessment of Biden’s condition.
Pelosi, in a significant move, took to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday morning to cast doubt on Biden’s candidature. Though privately advising colleagues to avoid embarrassing Biden while NATO leaders were in town, her comments prompted more Democrats to call for Biden to step aside.
Pelosi, having known Biden for decades and being one of his staunchest defenders, holds a unique position. At this moment, if Biden steps down, she may prove to be the most crucial Democratic leader. “She’s the one in a situation like this, especially generationally, who has the credibility to weigh in on something that is so sensitive and important,” said one House Democrat.
Pelosi plans to return to San Francisco on Friday, leaving the Democratic Party in a state of uncertainty and looking for leadership in these turbulent times, CNN reported.
