Pelosi Crosses Paths With Biden for First Time Since Pushing Him to Drop Out

Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden crossed paths at the memorial service for Ethel Kennedy in Washington on Wednesday, after not speaking for about three months since the former House Speaker orchestrated a pressure campaign to convince the 81-year-old Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.

Pelosi and Biden were seen at the memorial service sitting near each other, with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton separating them. It was unclear if they spoke at the service.

A day earlier, Pelosi joined Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland on his podcast “Politics Weekly America” and was asked for an update on her conversations with Biden now that “a couple of months have passed” since their falling out after his debate performance. Pelosi responded that she has not had a conversation with him “since then.”

Pelosi said she did not believe the “course that he was on” would have ended in victory against former President Donald Trump, which is why she pressured the president to pass the torch.

“I’m prayerful about it,” Pelosi said. “I have the greatest respect for him. I think he’s one of the most consequential presidents in our country. I think his legacy had to be protected.”

On July 21, less than a month after a disastrous debate performance against Trump, Biden withdrew from the race. He endorsed Harris as his successor immediately.

Pelosi said in August that she never shared concerns about Biden’s age or stamina with him specifically.

She also never publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the race following his debate with Trump, though she came close in a “Morning Joe” appearance widely seen as the tipping point that eventually led to the president’s decision.

It has since been reported the 84-year-old speaker emerita privately pushed the president to suspend his reelection campaign after the debate. Sources told the Associated Press in the days leading up to Biden dropping out that Pelosi had warned the president his candidacy could hurt Democrats up and down the ballot in November.

Pelosi said on the podcast that her call “was just let’s get him on a better course.” She said Biden made the final decision and had chosen to drop out. The two have been friends for decades, prior to her joining Congress, she added.

“I think he has some unease,” Pelosi said, adding candidly: “There might be some people around him that might not have forgiven me for my role.”

But Pelosi called the events of the summer “almost incidental now,” saying there is need to now focus on the two differing visions between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.

“Elections are decisions. You decide to win. I decided a while ago that Donald Trump will never set foot in the White House ever again as president of the United States,” Pelosi said.

“When you make a decision, you have to make every decision in favor of winning.”

With this election, Pelosi said she is proud of Harris “not because she is a woman but because she is the best.” Pelosi also noted she would never say the country is not ready for a female president, even if Trump does win in November.

“I think that every woman that ran – Hillary Clinton‘s race – was helpful to Kamala Harris,” Pelosi said.

“Kamala Harris is not running as I’m going to be the first woman or the first woman of color. She’s running on her strength, her knowledge of policy and strategy and presentation and the rest. I think that’s a different strategy than Hillary Clinton but Hillary Clinton’s race again made progress to women in the presidency.”

Yet, Pelosi will not say Trump’s name, equating it with a curse word.

“I think it’s a grotesque word,” Pelosi said. “When I grew up Catholic, as I am now, if you said a bad word, you could burn in hell if you didn’t have a chance to confess. I don’t want to take any chances.”