Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is strongly denying allegations that she orchestrated a Democratic coup to push President Biden out of the 2024 presidential race. Reports have surfaced claiming Pelosi had been working behind the scenes for weeks to oust Biden, but she dismissed these accusations in a recent interview.
During an appearance on CBS on Saturday, Pelosi was questioned about her involvement in the pressure campaign that many believe led to Biden’s decision not to seek re-election. “No, I wasn’t the leader of any pressure [campaign],” Pelosi firmly stated. “Let me say things that I didn’t do: I didn’t call one person. I did not call one person. I could always say to him, ‘I never called anybody.'”
While Pelosi expressed her affection for Biden, saying, “He knows that I love him very much,” she chose not to elaborate further on the matter. The denial comes amidst a backdrop of growing discontent within the Democratic Party, which reportedly reached a boiling point after Biden’s poor performance in a June debate against former President Trump.
In the weeks that followed, a series of leaks from within the party highlighted concerns about Biden’s age and mental sharpness, leading to public calls from some lawmakers for him to step aside. Despite this, top Democrats outwardly supported Biden, with Pelosi herself saying at the time, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”
However, behind the scenes, it appears that some of the most influential figures in the Democratic Party, including former President Barack Obama, were reportedly working against Biden. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy has even suggested that Pelosi and Obama were “pulling the strings” to ensure Biden’s exit from the race.
Pelosi’s conversations with Biden during this period have been described as candid, with the former Speaker reportedly telling the president that polls showed him losing to Trump, which could spell disaster for the Democrats in the House. According to sources, Biden pushed back against these claims, citing polls that he believed indicated he could still win.
When asked about these discussions, a spokesperson for Pelosi’s office declined to comment, leaving the full extent of her involvement in the situation unclear.
The allegations of a behind-the-scenes coup have added fuel to the already intense debate over Biden’s leadership and the future direction of the Democratic Party as the 2024 election looms.
