On Monday, he sent a letter to Democratic congressional representatives stating firmly that he plans to run, as those worried about his ability to lead watch his performance during this week’s NATO summit in Washington.
When MSNBC’s Willie Geist asked Pelosi whether she believed Biden should remain in the race, she stopped short of answering the question directly and said she wants him “to do whatever he decides to do.”
Pelosi, who stepped down as speaker in 2022, still holds immense power within the Democratic Party. She rarely speaks out of turn, which is why her comments Wednesday – and last week, when she said that concerns about the president’s mental fitness are a “legitimate question” – raised eyebrows.
Speaking to CBS after her MSNBC interview, Pelosi sought to clarify her comments, saying “there are some misrepresentations of what I have said.”
“I never said he should reconsider his decision. The decision is the president’s,” she said. “I don’t know what’s happened in the New York Times that they make up news. But if that’s why you’re here, it isn’t true.”
In a statement to KQED, Pelosi’s press secretary Ian Krager reiterated that the former speaker supports whatever Biden decides to do.
“We must turn our attention to why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy,” Krager said.
Before her comments on Biden’s future, Pelosi told MSNBC that she attended his remarks at the NATO summit on Tuesday and that he was “spectacular,” delivering his speech with “force.”
“This president has been a great president. I can tell you firsthand, as a person who orchestrated many of the pieces of legislation that the president takes great pride in — and he should,” she said.
Pelosi suggested that Democrats’ conversation around Biden, whom she called “beloved” by the caucus, should wait until after the NATO summit.
“I’ve said to everyone, ‘Let’s just hold off whatever you’re thinking. Either tell somebody privately, but you don’t have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week.’”
Pelosi is not the only member of California’s Democratic establishment to express concern. On Sunday, Rep. Adam Schiff, who’s running for the Senate, said it’s understandable that Biden’s debate performance has raised questions about whether he can win against Trump.
One prominent Democrat who hasn’t wavered publicly in his support of the president, though, is Gov. Gavin Newsom. He was in New Hampshire this week, stumping for Biden.
Sen. Alex Padilla has also been firm in his support for the president. When asked about Pelosi’s comments by MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balarte, Padilla said Biden had given his answer about staying in the race.
“It’s time to move forward, because the more time and energy we commit to questioning or wondering is time and energy we need to be focusing on reaching out to voters,” he said.
Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents Oakland, also spoke about Biden’s reelection campaign Tuesday on the BBC World Service. She said that despite Biden’s “horrible” debate performance, the party should be focused on beating Trump.
“Joe Biden has indicated that he is going to run, and I’m glad he is,” she told BBC. “Do [voters] want four years of a convicted felon or not? Joe Biden has proven that he and Vice President Harris can beat Donald Trump, and they’ll do it again.”
KQED’s Scott Shafer contributed to this report.
