Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told President Joe Biden in a private call last week that she and other lawmakers are concerned that he could ruin Democrats' chances of taking control of the House this fall if he stays in the presidential race, as polling shows he can't beat former President Donald Trump.
The exact date of the call wasn't made clear, but one source said it happened within the last week, marking the second conversation Pelosi and Biden have had since his debate performance against Trump on June 27, reports CNN, quoting four sources briefed on the call.
One of the sources said that Biden pushed back and told Pelosi he's seen polls indicating he can defeat Trump. At one point, the source said, Pelosi asked longtime Biden adviser Mike Donilon to come onto the line and talk about the data.
The sources did not say if Pelosi told Biden directly that she thinks he should drop his reelection bid, but she has spent the past few weeks listening to her colleagues' concerns.
One Pelosi ally reported that she could press Biden publicly to give up his race, which she has not yet done, reports Politico.
"The speaker does not want to call on him to resign, but she will do everything in her power to make sure it happens," the ally commented.
Last week, Pelosi said it is up to Biden to decide if he's going to run, but "we're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short."
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates did not respond to reports about the call between Pelosi and Biden but insisted that the president "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, meanwhile, told CNN that the California Democrat has been in her home state since Friday and has not spoken with Biden since then.
News about the Pelosi call emerged after ABC News reported that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had both told Biden that it would be best for the country if he ended his campaign and that they were also concerned that Democrats would have difficulty winning control of Congress if he stays in.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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