Former President Barack Obama and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have huddled behind the scenes to discuss their concerns about President Joe Biden’s chances of defeating former President Donald Trump in November.
The Democrat Party is desperate for someone to get involved and stop the madness as more of its elected officials have asked for the president to step aside and allow someone else to lead the ticket, CNN reported.
“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer doesn’t have the trust of Biden and that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t have the depth of relationship to deliver the message,” it said.
The outlet said it spoke with more than a dozen elected Democrats who said they believe Biden’s candidacy will end, and it is just a matter of how and when.
Those the network spoke to have said that if the former president and former Speaker to not believe the same then they need to say it quickly before the president’s campaign is irreparably damaged.
CNN reported:
Pelosi has spoken to Biden since the debate, but in the time since, the California Democrat has made clear that she does not see Biden’s decision to stay in the race as final. But she, through an aide, declined to comment further.
Obama’s decision not to make any public comment for two weeks has left a number of leading Democrats feeling like he has left them flailing by holding to the same posture that has largely defined his post-presidency. After the debate, he posted on X, “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” reiterating that sentiment at a fundraiser in New York for House Democrats the night after Biden’s performance. The former president hadn’t even planned to make any public statement, but Biden and Obama aides coordinated to get that post out in a way that reflected Biden campaign talking points that Obama’s first reelection debate in 2012 went badly, too, and it didn’t end up ending his campaign.
But Obama’s deepening skepticism about his friend’s ability to win reelection is one of the worst kept secrets in Washington.
They said that when history looks back on this tumultuous time in the Democrat Party the world will see what a massive role was played by former President Obama and former Speaker Pelosi.
“They are watching and waiting for President Biden to reach a decision on his own,” one Democrat close to everyone involved said to CNN on condition of anonymity.
The concern is that if Obama asks the president to end his campaign it would be seen by Biden the same way it was when he asked him not to take on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2015 for the Democrat presidential nomination.
“Biden would say, ‘Well, Mr. President, you already used that chip in 2015 and it got us Donald Trump,’” a 2020 campaign aide said to CNN. “I think it would harden him more.”
But no matter what the president decides to do Democrats say that Obama is going to be on board to campaign for them.
“He is going to be all in for the Democratic ticket. No matter who our nominee is, he will be busting his a** helping to make sure that person wins in November,” a person close to the former president said.
Some Democrats believe that what broke the dam for the president was when former Speaker Pelosi appeared on the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” and did not close the door on the president stepping aside.
“I think at this moment, if Biden ends up stepping down as the nominee, she will prove to be the most important Democratic leader,” a House Democrat said.
“She’s the one in a situation like this, especially generationally, who has the credibility to weigh in on something that is so sensitive and important,” they said.
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