Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a pivotal role in President Joe Biden’s decision to abandon his reelection bid, according to an exclusive report published on Friday.
As Biden recovered from his COVID infection a day before the now-infamous Sunday evening nationwide address announcing he would step away from the race, Pelosi sent him an urgent message: She was ready to publicly express her doubts about his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November, DailyMail.com reported.
The ultimatum was clear: Drop out now, or Pelosi would publicly criticize her long-time political ally and friend of over 50 years, the outlet said.
Four sources with close knowledge of the situation confirmed to DailyMail.com that such a message was conveyed. One well-placed source indicated that Pelosi directly told Biden during a phone call that she would release harsh polling data to support her claims.
Her demand was reportedly so forceful that it prompted a ‘come to Jesus moment’ for the president, leading him to start drafting the letter announcing his withdrawal, the outlet said, adding that officially, the offices of both Biden and Pelosi denied any phone call took place.
This explosive revelation comes amid an escalating public fallout between Pelosi and Biden, who haven’t spoken since his withdrawal announcement. With her new memoir hitting the shelves, Pelosi has been navigating a series of interviews, struggling to avoid questions about her deteriorated relationship with the president.
On Sunday, August 4, CBS anchor Lesley Stahl confronted the former speaker on the issue.
“It’s been very well-reported that you were the leader of a pressure campaign [to convince Biden to step aside]?” asked Stahl.
“No, I wasn’t the leader of any pressure [campaign],’ Pelosi responded. “Let me say things that I didn’t do: I didn’t call one person.”
But in a subsequent interview with The New Yorker, Pelosi said she was losing sleep over her rift with Biden and “praying” the relationship could be repaired.
Indeed, it wasn’t just Pelosi who piled pressure on Biden to withdraw in the days and weeks following his disastrous TV debate with Trump.
Other party bigwigs, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, told Biden they no longer thought his candidacy was viable.
Schumer went to see Biden in Delaware a week before his withdrawal, with insiders describing the meeting as ‘blunt’.
Jeffries had also pressed the president on tanking poll numbers in recent days – but it was the way in which Pelosi delivered the final blow that has apparently left Biden feeling bitter.
Biden’s announcement came after weeks of mounting pressure on him to leave the race following his devastating debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June. A growing number of Democrats and their supporters and donors, including Hollywood elitists, began jumping on the bandwagon, demanding he step down following a series of post-debate polls showing support for him taking across the country, especially in must-win battleground states.
Trump responded to the announcement on his Truth Social page.
“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement. All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t – And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists. We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
