By Saqib Saleem Qureshi
Obama, Pelosi and other Democrats make a fresh push for Biden to reconsider 2024 race
WASHINGTON (SCN) — Democrats at the highest levels are making a critical push for President Joe Biden to reevaluate his election bid, with former President Barack Obama expressing private concerns to allies and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately telling Biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn’t step away from the 2024 race.
Pelosi also presented polling to Biden that she argued shows he likely can’t defeat Republican Donald Trump — though the former speaker countered Thursday in a sharp statement that the “feeding frenzy” from anonymous sources “misrepresents any conversations” she may have had with the president.
With time racing toward the party convention next month, Democratic unease is growing at the White House and within the campaign at a fraught moment for the president and his party.
Obama has conveyed to allies that Biden needs to consider the viability of his campaign but has also made clear that the decision is one Biden needs to make. The former president has taken calls in recent days from members of congressional leadership, Democratic governors and key donors to discuss their concerns about his former vice president.
Biden has insisted he’s not backing down, adamant that he’s the candidate who beat Trump before and will do so again. Pressed about reports that Biden might be softening to the idea of leaving the race, his deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said Thursday: “He is not wavering on anything.”
If anything, in recent days the president has become more committed to staying in the race, according to one person familiar with the internal discussions.