Pelosi told Biden privately that he doesn't stand a chance against Trump and that following through hurts the Democratic Party
The leak comes at a sensitive time, just as the top two Democrats in Congress told the president he must step down.
Nancy Pelosi receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom last May.
Former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), held a call with Joe Biden last week where the congresswoman warned the president that he doesn't stand a chance against Donald Trump and that he is weighing his party down heading into the November general election.
CNN, citing sources close to the congresswoman, reported that Pelosi, in an extraordinarily candid confrontation, accosted Biden and told him that some Democratic lawmakers will start complaining louder about his political weaknesses in public to press on his resignation.
While Pelosi did not tell Biden in the call to resign, she did warn him that he should make a decision soon on his resignation as time runs out for the Democratic National Convention to take place.
New: Nancy Pelosi privately told Biden in a recent conversation that polling shows that the president cannot defeat Trump and that Biden could destroy Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November if he continues seeking a 2nd term, sources tell me @jamiegangel @jeffzeleny
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) July 18, 2024
According to CNN, Biden took a defensive posture during the call and responded to Pelosi by arguing that he had seen polls that indicated he could beat Trump.
Likewise, another of the media outlet's sources said Biden became defensive about the polls cited by Pelosi, who asked Mike Donilon, one of the president's top advisers, to get on the phone to talk about the data and the chances of victory.
In a different report, POLITICO magazine noted that Pelosi had a tough attitude during the conversation, citing close allies of the congresswoman.
According to POLITICO, a Pelosi ally said it is plausible that the former House speaker is publicly pressuring Biden to give up his candidacy.
"The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens," the Pelosi ally commented to POLITICO.
The leak of the conversation to the media comes at a time of extreme delicacy for Biden and the Democratic Party, just as the top two Democrats in Congress, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, told the president in separate conversations that it is best for America if he backs out of the race.
The The New York Times, hours after the cited reports surfaced, published a lengthy story citing unnamed sources who said Biden is now willing to listen to arguments against his candidacy.
"Mr. Biden has not given any indication that he is changing his mind about staying in the race, the Democrats said, but has been willing to listen to rundowns of new and worrying polling data and has asked questions about how Vice President Kamala Harris could win," the NYT article read.
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