Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has delivered bad news to President Joe Biden about November's election and is reportedly prepared to go public with her concerns.
The California Democrat told the president last week that she and other Democratic lawmakers are worried that he's dragging down other candidates and warned him that calls for him to step aside would start to grow louder, and she urged Biden to make a decision on stepping down as soon as possible, reported Politico.
“The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens,” said one Pelosi ally, who said the former speaker may publicly urge Biden to step aside.
Another ally told Politico that Pelosi is focused first on winning.
“There’s nothing subtle about Nancy,” that ally said. “She starts with the question: ‘What’s it take to win?’ Then works backwards.”
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Democratic leadership had hoped to address concerns about the president's age and viability as the nominee in private, but leaks about those conversations have pushed the issue out into the open – much to the chagrin of Biden's campaign and the lawmakers who have discussed the topic.
“These sources are not good sources,” Pelosi's spokesperson said, adding that she had not spoken to Biden since last week.
Biden's team has refused to yield on the matter, and a White House spokesman insisted the president would remain in the race and win re-election.
“Biden is the nominee of the party… plans to win, and looks forward to working with congressional Democrats to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families," said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.