Scoop: Nancy Pelosi warns Biden of 2024 presidential race peril
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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has conveyed to President Biden and his campaign the political peril the Democratic Party faces if he remains atop the ticket, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Pelosi is potentially the last Democrat with the stature and the savvy to convince President Biden to bow out of the race.
- Her dire assessment of Biden's political predicament has reverberated throughout his campaign and in the higher echelons of the Democratic party.
- It's unclear whether Pelosi has directly told Biden to end his presidential campaign, or even how many times they have spoken.
The White House has confirmed only one conversation, which took place in early July. But some Biden advisers believe there have been more, the people said.
- Asked about Pelosi's evaluation of Biden's prospects and her conversations with Biden, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said: "President Biden is the nominee of the party. He plans to win, and looks forward to working with congressional Democrats to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families."
- A Pelosi spokesperson declined to comment.
Between the lines: One of Pelosi's closest allies in the House, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif), called for Biden to end his presidential campaign on Wednesday, a decision that sent shockwaves throughout the Democratic party.
- Top Democrats read Schiff's broadside as a clear signal from Pelosi that she was preparing to increase her public pressure on Biden to make a decision.
- Last week, she appeared on Morning Joe to suggest that Biden still had time to reconsider his decision to stay in the race. "We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short," she said.
Zoom in: Pelosi's conversations are in addition to the private, separate talks House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have had with Biden.
- Schumer had a "blunt" conversation with Biden and suggested that he bow out of the race, according to ABC News' Jonathan Karl.
- Responding to press accounts that described the Schumer and Jeffries conversations negatively, Bates gave reporters a statement similar to the one he gave Axios later in the evening.
- "The President told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families," he said.
Zoom out: The public and private sentiment for Biden in the Democratic Party is ebbing and flowing by the day.
- Biden has found pockets of support in some corners of the party, only to be attacked by others, like he was over the weekend by Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.)
The bottom line: The Democratic National Committee said Wednesday they won't hold their virtual roll call vote before August, giving delegates more time to consider their options before formally making Biden their party's nominee.
