Nancy Pelosi is the Grim Reaper. We may criticize her heavily for her remarks and appalling stances on public policy, but behind the scenes—she’s lethal. The California Democrat, with decades of experience, knows how to wield power, and she used it with brutal efficiency against the Biden White House. This woman isn’t even a speaker nor a member of the House Democratic leadership right now—and she’s more powerful than the president of the United States.
There’s a difference between an influential person and a powerful office; Biden has demonstrated that with the ease with which Pelosi and others pushed him out of the 2024 race. From the start, many saw Joe Biden as quintessentially unpresidential material. Voters rejected him twice for the top job for obvious reasons, but he benefitted from COVID and an extraordinarily shallow 2024 Democratic field.
Then, Biden was obliterated by Donald Trump in the June debate. His media blitz afterward did not go over well, and Democrats saw 2024 trending toward a 1980-style blowout. The Hollywood money train was over. The fundraising operation was in peril as megadonors refused to donate unless Biden stepped aside. Across the board, Biden was dragging down the ticket, likely leading to Pelosi threatening to destroy Biden in public if he remained on the ticket. The former House Speaker was asked whether Biden had forgiven her for being part of the coup. This event was brought up on The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland’s podcast, and she admits that the answer would be no. The pair haven’t spoken since Joe’s July exit. She tries to laugh it off, acknowledging that some within Joe’s inner circle likely won’t forgive her:
Pelosi says she and Biden still haven't spoken since he dropped out.
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 15, 2024
Asked if she thinks Biden has forgiven him, there is a long pause and she says: "There may be some people around him who haven't forgiven me for my role."
Via @Freedland and his pod: pic.twitter.com/3Jc9VrKqfE
The Biden White House got rolled by Pelosi within weeks. How can that happen, given the institution’s advantages? Again, it shows you what a weak president Biden is, along with the clowns he hires. Even Pelosi dismissed the president’s political team as being of mid-level caliber, which is partially why it was so easy for this office to get outmaneuvered by everyone.