Pelosi: 'Never been that impressed with his political operation,' in reference to Biden
"They won the White House. Bravo. But my concern was: This ain’t happening," the former speaker remarked during an interview.
TroibNews 
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi admitted she had long-standing concerns about President Joe Biden’s campaign before he withdrew, questioning his chances for success in November.
"I’ve never been that impressed with his political operation," she revealed in an interview with The New Yorker published Thursday. "They won the White House. Bravo. But my concern was: this ain’t happening, and we have to make a decision for this to happen. The President has to make the decision for that to happen."
Pelosi, now 84, expressed her personal frustration with Biden’s campaign strength, suggesting it wasn’t sufficient to defeat former President Donald Trump despite their past success in 2020. She maintained her public stance that Biden's choice to exit the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris was solely his decision.
Although Pelosi had shared her worries with Biden about troubling polls in June and July, which indicated a challenging battleground, she has only recently begun to publicly articulate her belief that Biden’s campaign was on a losing trajectory. The San Francisco Democrat was still reluctant to acknowledge she played a pivotal role in the effort to urge Biden's withdrawal.
"I really wanted him to make a decision for a better campaign, because they were not facing the fact of what was happening," Pelosi said, after commending Biden’s achievements. "We couldn’t see it go down the drain, because Trump was going to be president and then he was going to take the House. Imagine! Imagine how that would be! Well, we don’t have to imagine. We saw."
Pelosi portrayed her actions as an effort to preserve the political legacy of a president she deeply respected, highlighting his recent prisoner deal negotiated amid a campaign crisis, which secured the release of journalist Evan Gershkovich, two other Americans, and several Russian political prisoners. This mission, she noted, came at the expense of their personal relationship.
"I hope so. I pray so. I cry so," Pelosi responded when asked by The New Yorker if she believed she could maintain her friendship with Biden. "I lose sleep on it."
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
"I’ve never been that impressed with his political operation," she revealed in an interview with The New Yorker published Thursday. "They won the White House. Bravo. But my concern was: this ain’t happening, and we have to make a decision for this to happen. The President has to make the decision for that to happen."
Pelosi, now 84, expressed her personal frustration with Biden’s campaign strength, suggesting it wasn’t sufficient to defeat former President Donald Trump despite their past success in 2020. She maintained her public stance that Biden's choice to exit the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris was solely his decision.
Although Pelosi had shared her worries with Biden about troubling polls in June and July, which indicated a challenging battleground, she has only recently begun to publicly articulate her belief that Biden’s campaign was on a losing trajectory. The San Francisco Democrat was still reluctant to acknowledge she played a pivotal role in the effort to urge Biden's withdrawal.
"I really wanted him to make a decision for a better campaign, because they were not facing the fact of what was happening," Pelosi said, after commending Biden’s achievements. "We couldn’t see it go down the drain, because Trump was going to be president and then he was going to take the House. Imagine! Imagine how that would be! Well, we don’t have to imagine. We saw."
Pelosi portrayed her actions as an effort to preserve the political legacy of a president she deeply respected, highlighting his recent prisoner deal negotiated amid a campaign crisis, which secured the release of journalist Evan Gershkovich, two other Americans, and several Russian political prisoners. This mission, she noted, came at the expense of their personal relationship.
"I hope so. I pray so. I cry so," Pelosi responded when asked by The New Yorker if she believed she could maintain her friendship with Biden. "I lose sleep on it."
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
