Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D., Calif.) Wednesday comments about President Joe Biden's reelection bid are part of a meticulous behind-the-scenes plot to get the octogenarian president to reconsider, according to a Politico report on Thursday.
"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," the former House speaker said during her Wednesday appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, even though Biden had repeatedly affirmed his desire to stay in the race.
One individual close with Pelosi told Politico that the California representative's comments were meant to encourage Biden to reconsider his reelection bid and fellow Democrats to speak up against the president.
Pelosi has expressed to various lawmakers behind closed doors her frustration with the conundrum Biden has placed the Democratic Party in, suggesting that the president will lose to Republican nominee Donald Trump this November and should exit the race, several lawmakers and others familiar with the conversations told the outlet.
Pelosi advised some Democrats in swing districts to publicly demand Biden drop out of the race, while telling those who aren’t in swing districts to voice their concerns directly to the White House or the Biden campaign, according to Politico.
While Pelosi has advised the Democrats to delay their pleas until after this week’s NATO Summit, some have reportedly already begun drafting their statements asking Biden to withdraw his reelection bid.
Nearly a dozen House Democrats and one Senate Democrat have demanded Biden exit the race, following the octogenarian’s disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27.
Biden, however, has remained defiant and told congressional Democrats in a letter on Monday that he remains "firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," urging the lawmakers to rally behind him and "move forward as a unified party."