The former House speaker, who steps down as party leader in 2022 but remains an influential figure, has told California Democrats and some House leaders that he believes Biden is on the brink of deciding to drop out of the presidential race, three Democratic aides said. Some Democrats worry that if Biden stays in office, he could end up handing the White House to Donald Trump.
Pelosi’s aides denied “sensationalized media reports” about her discussions with Biden, but declined to discuss her discussions with fellow lawmakers.
“Speaker Pelosi respects the confidentiality of her meetings and conversations with the President of the United States,” a spokesman for the former speaker said.
Biden’s campaign advisers continued to deny rumors Thursday that he would be removed from the running.
“President Biden has not spoken to congressional leaders today,” campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo said. “The president won 14 million votes in the Democratic primary and became his party’s nominee. He is seeking reelection and that will not change until he is re-elected.”
Rank-and-file Democrats have speculated that Pelosi is behind the calls for Biden to resign from his state of California, a state that was relatively quiet for several days after the assassination attempt on President Trump last weekend. On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a close ally of Pelosi, formally called on Biden to step down and be replaced by another Democrat. On Thursday, Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) followed suit.
Concerns about Biden’s candidacy have been growing among Democrats in recent days. In addition to Pelosi, other key party figures, including former President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York, have also expressed concern about Biden continuing to run for president. Jeffries and Schumer have told Biden directly in separate meetings in recent days that his continued candidacy would put Democrats at risk of losing control of both houses of Congress next year. Obama has also told allies in recent days that Biden needs to seriously reconsider the viability of running.
Pelosi has kept a low public profile since appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” a show Biden is known to watch, on July 10, where she softened Biden’s argument that he should remain in November’s election. Democrats took her subtle comment — “It’s up to the president to decide whether he wants to run” — to reopen the debate after Biden sent a defiant letter to lawmakers two days earlier announcing his candidacy.
Biden campaign officials continued to resist calls for him to step down. “I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I don’t know how many times I can say it: President Biden remains in the campaign,” Quentin Fulks, Biden’s top deputy campaign manager, told reporters in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Democratic leaders, including Pelosi, don’t seem convinced.
While Pelosi has not actively sought them out, she has told House Democrats, particularly those facing tough re-election challenges this fall, that she is ready to discuss the White House political crisis and how to respond, according to several House Democrats and aides.
Former Chair Biden took detailed notes during those discussions, particularly on polling data from lawmakers in each district and where Biden stood in those key districts, according to a Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive conversations.
Those meetings, along with private polling data, have influenced Pelosi’s thinking as she navigates nuanced discussions with Biden and his aides.
The Washington Post and other outlets reported this week about recent conversations with Biden in which Pelosi denied the president’s assertion that Biden’s approval rating is doing well in the polls. A person familiar with the conversations said Pelosi had asked Biden to bring senior advisers into the meeting so they could compare internal polling discrepancies in more detail.
Ms. Pelosi, now 84 and a newcomer to the House of Representatives, retains considerable influence on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, and many see her as the Democrat best placed to deliver a tough message to Mr. Biden, in part because Mr. Biden sees her as a contemporary of his own accomplishments.
Pelosi has no personal political ambitions left, having stepped down from leadership 18 months ago after leading House Democrats for two decades. These Democrats say she doesn’t have to worry about the repercussions of saying something senior leaders don’t want to hear, and that the House’s new leadership will appreciate her new voice in encouraging Biden to retire.
But Democrats who want to push Biden aside warn Doing so is by no means a certainty. “It’s still a work in progress,” said one Democratic lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss conversations between the former speaker and members of California’s delegation.
Pelosi has gone to great lengths to avoid appearing to be a co-leader with Jeffries and his close aides, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).
Speaking to a small group of reporters shortly after her farewell speech, Pelosi said she never wanted lawmakers to see her “in the kitchen like a mother-in-law” trying to explain what her son wanted for Thanksgiving dinner.
But for now, Messrs. Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar each have political sensitivities that make it more difficult for them to take a tough stance against Biden. The Congressional Black Caucus, which has been Jeffries’ base of support in his rise to House leadership, includes some of Biden’s most staunch supporters.
That’s also true of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which helped propel Aguilar to rising star status.
So at this moment, Pelosi stepped in and began to act as a more outspoken messenger to Biden’s inner circle, relaying what she had heard in her caucus.
One Democrat who spoke with Pelosi recently reached out to the former speaker for her opinion said Pelosi set up conference calls, explained all the details about precincts and polls, and said she took detailed notes on the data.
At the end of the call, Pelosi explained that she wasn’t actively lobbying lawmakers, but wanted them to know that she was willing to discuss the situation with anyone.
“Text me,” Pelosi said, according to the Democrat.
After hanging up the phone, the congressman quickly sent a text message to about 50 Democrats letting them know Pelosi was open to talking.
Lee Ann Caldwell and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.
