Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi privately raised concerns with Biden campaign: report

Former US President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have privately expressed ‘concern’ about Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign, and highlighted the increasing ‘difficulty’ for him/her against Donald Trump, reports CNN.

However, both the former president and the former speaker are unsure about the next step.

There is an urgent need within the Democratic Party to end the current infighting and refocus on defeating former President Trump.

Party members are appealing to Obama or Pelosi to guide them, as they believe Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer does not have the confidence of Biden and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries does not have a strong enough relationship with Biden to effectively deliver key messages.

CNN, citing its discussions with more than a dozen congressional members, activists and individuals who have been in contact with both Obama and Pelosi, reports that there’s a consensus: The end of Biden’s candidacy seems inevitable, and talk is now emerging about how that will play out even after Thursday night’s news conference. If that’s different than what Obama and Pelosi believe, several prominent Democrats argue they must state it clearly and as quickly as possible to minimize the damage just months before the election.

Many of Pelosi’s colleagues are counting on her to resolve the turmoil within the party. A significant portion believes a solution will emerge if she advises Biden to withdraw from the race. Pelosi has spoken to Biden since the debate, but has indicated through an aide that she does not consider Biden’s decision to stay in the race final. She declined to comment further.

Obama, on the other hand, has refrained from making any public comments for two weeks, leaving many prominent Democrats feeling alienated by his/her generally non-dramatic stance. After the debate, he/she posted on X, “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” a sentiment he/she reiterated at a New York fundraiser for House Democrats.

According to CNN, it was a coordinated effort between Biden and Obama aides aimed at drawing parallels with Obama’s own acrimonious debates during his/her 2012 re-election campaign, which did not derail his/her campaign.

Obama’s growing skepticism about Biden’s ability to win re-election is an open secret in Washington. When historians examine this remarkable two-week period in American politics, the impact of Obama and Pelosi, who served as guides for a party in crisis, will be more pronounced.

“They are watching President Biden and waiting for him/her to make his/her own decision,” said one Democrat close to both Obama and Pelosi, who asked not to be named. The Biden campaign has declined to comment on the matter.

While Pelosi’s spokesmen don’t deny that she and Obama have discussed Biden, they insist that no member of Congress would be privy to such conversations. Obama has been more listener than talker in conversations with worried Democratic donors and officials, avoiding any concrete positions that could leak.

he/she had a similar approach in his/her conversation with Biden after the debate, where he/she took on the role of a “sounding board and personal counsel”, probing without taking a firm position and playing devil’s advocate.

Some Democrats said in the past two weeks that Obama dismissed the idea that he/she could influence Biden’s decision, reflecting their long-standing but complicated relationship. Since leaving office, the two have spoken only infrequently, according to some of his/her advisers.

If Obama does force Biden to step down, it could be viewed through the lens of their past relationship. For example, Biden may still feel Obama did not support him/her enough when he/she considered entering the 2016 Democratic primaries after the death of his/her son Beau. Obama’s intention then was to help Biden focus on his/her grief rather than face off in a tough primary against Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but the second conversation may not be understood the same way, CNN reported.

One longtime aide involved in the 2020 campaign predicted that “Biden will say, ‘Well, Mr. President, you already used that chip in 2015 and that got us Donald Trump.’” “I think that will make him/her even tougher.”

Obama is also wary of giving Trump any new material by getting actively involved. In past instances, such as the 2020 Democratic primary, Obama has positioned himself as a unifying figure who validates the party’s direction. So far, he/she has not committed to playing that role in the current turmoil surrounding Biden’s candidacy.

Obama has endorsed Biden at two fundraising events this year, including one in Los Angeles last month where George Clooney later expressed concern about Biden’s condition. Biden traveled across five time zones overnight to attend the G-7 meeting, which Obama also questioned on his/her way there.

“he/she was the same guy we all saw at the debates,” Clooney wrote in a New York Times essay urging Biden to step aside. The essay angered some Biden loyalists, who suspected Obama was behind Clooney’s article. Obama, who was friendly with Clooney, knew about the essay but did not stop it, maintaining neutrality according to some supporters, while Biden loyalists saw it as a betrayal.

Obama spent more time with Biden than Clooney during the event, and some attributed Biden’s condition to jet lag. An Obama aide declined to comment on whether this was still an assessment of Biden’s condition.

Pelosi took a significant step by casting doubt on Biden’s candidacy on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program on Wednesday morning. Though privately she advised her colleagues not to embarrass Biden while NATO leaders were in town, her comments prompted more Democrats to call for Biden to step down.

Pelosi has known Biden for decades and is one of his/her staunchest supporters, so her position is unique. Right now, she could prove to be the most important Democratic leader if Biden leaves office. “In a situation like this, especially generationally, she is the only person who has the credibility to take on something so sensitive and important,” one House Democrat said.

Pelosi plans to return to San Francisco on Friday, CNN reports, leaving the Democratic Party in a state of uncertainty and searching for leadership during this turbulent time.