Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has criticized President Joe Biden, asserting that his late withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race deprived the Democratic Party of a better chance to retain the White House.
In a Friday interview with The New York Times, Pelosi suggested that the Democratic Party might have fared better if Biden had exited the race sooner, opening up a more competitive primary process.
“Had the President stepped aside earlier, we could have seen other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said.
Reportedly, Pelosi had led internal efforts to encourage Biden to withdraw. She highlighted that his July decision to step down restricted the party’s options.
Biden ultimately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. However, she was soundly defeated by Republican Donald Trump in Tuesday’s election.
Pelosi remarked that an earlier exit by Biden could have led to an open primary, where more Democratic candidates might have emerged.
“The expectation was that, with the President stepping down, we’d have an open primary,” Pelosi noted.
“It might have strengthened Harris, but we’ll never know. That didn’t happen, and now we must live with the outcome.”
Pelosi argued that Biden’s endorsement of Harris shortly after his departure essentially blocked any chance for a primary challenge.
If Biden had endorsed Harris sooner, Pelosi suggested, it could have given Democrats more time to assess candidates and potentially rally around a stronger nominee.
Insiders close to Harris’s campaign echoed Pelosi’s views, linking the loss to Biden’s delayed exit. In an interview with Politico, a Harris campaign aide said, “We ran the best campaign possible, but Biden’s role as President was a decisive factor.”
“Joe Biden is the primary reason Kamala Harris and the Democrats lost tonight,” the aide remarked.
