Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reaction to this line of questioning by ABC News’ Rachel Scott exposes a few things: the Democrats are not accustomed to such grilling by the media, they’re tired of the Joe Biden questions, and they know there’s no satisfactory answer to the predicament regarding the Democratic Party is facing with the president. Joe Biden created this mess, and he’s not leaving, so what can they do? For now, nothing which isn’t a position that’s sitting well with a large swath of congressional Democrats, many of which are now worried Biden will cost them down ballot. They’re not wrong.
🚨PELOSI on Biden on @Morning_Joe : "It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to to make that decision. Because time is running short."
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 10, 2024
LEMIRE: Do you want him to run
PELOSI: "I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that's the…
As Spencer wrote this morning, Pelosi stopped within an inch of calling on Biden to drop out. It surely wasn’t a media hit Biden’s staffers wanted to see, but the trickle of Democrats calling for Biden to step aside is growing, especially today. If there aren’t calls for him to drop out, there are the even more damning ones questioning his ability to win in November.
Speaker Pelosi tells me Biden can win
— Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) July 10, 2024
She says she won’t make comments in the hallway about “the fate of our nation”
When I asked if Biden should run she said
“Am I speaking English to you? I’m not going to be making any statements about any of that right now in the hallway..” pic.twitter.com/8R1KsTuTc0
Completely legitimate questions from @rachelvscott.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 10, 2024
But this is where Democrats are. they are sick of the topic and they've discovered they have little sway over Biden, even though many think he cant win, and he'll lose the Senate and W.H. for Dems. https://t.co/9JxiRqtXOT
Scott’s questions about the 2024 race and whether Biden should continue his candidacy led to Pelosi getting snippy quickly. She said she would not share the details of her discussion with the president or discuss the “fate of our nation” in the hallway.
“Am I speaking English to you? I’m not going to be making any statements about any of that right now in the hallway,” barked Pelosi to Scott.
Yet, the California Democrat also said she believed Biden could win, so a follow-up on whether he should stay is warranted. Pelosi also gets irritated when supposedly friendly outlets push back. She did it to PBS’ Judy Woodruff during the COVID pandemic, with MSNBC’s Katy Tur this year, and now with Ms. Scott at ABC News.
For years, she expected the press to take her word and move on; that will not happen regarding Joe Biden, his health, and the 2024 election. June 27 made that impossible, so get used to more questions, Nancy. You might want to get your husband to drive drunk again if you need something to change the subject, but even that wouldn’t shake a national story like this.
Until Biden has a 'Flowers for Algernon '-like mental recovery, these questions aren't going away.