Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that she has not spoken to President Joe Biden since he decided to step away from the presidential election.
Biden on July 21 backed out of what would have been a November rematch with former President Donald Trump, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris after several weeks of sustained pressure from members of his own party following a dismal debate performance with Trump.
While Pelosi did not directly call on Biden to withdraw after the debate, a number of her close allies in Congress amplified explicit calls for Biden’s exit.
During an interview with CNN‘s Dana Bash on Monday night, Pelosi insisted that she had nothing to do with the Democratic pressure campaign but said that she had not spoken with the president since his candidacy ended.
“I had nothing to do with that,” Pelosi said after being asked if she was behind the effort to oust Biden. “If you ask [my allies], it’s almost insulting to them, because they’re formidable figures in the Congress of the United States. They make their own judgment and their own statement.”
Pelosi then said “no I have not” after Bash asked if she had spoken to the president since he dropped out, while adding she hopes to have a discussion but “we’re all busy.”
“Is everything OK with your relationship?” Bash asked.
“You’d have to ask him,” Pelosi responded. “But I hope so.”
Pelosi went on to say that she had “loved Joe Biden, respected him, for over 40 years” and “he has made one of the biggest contributions to our country in the shortest period of time of any president you can name.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Monday night for comment.
Shortly after Biden dropped out of the race, Pelosi released a statement: “God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness” and praised the president “for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment.”
Reports before Biden’s exit, however, said that Pelosi had privately warned him that polling indicated he could not win the election, while her public statements on his post-debate candidacy were anything but a vote of confidence.
“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,” Pelosi said during a July 10 appearance on MSNBC‘s Morning Joe. “I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that’s the way it is.”
In February, a few months before Biden awarded Pelosi the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the former speaker defended the president as “very sharp” and “always on the ball” in comments to Newsweek.
