Outgoing first lady Jill Biden has admitted that it was “disappointing” that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was the one whose decisive intervention pushed President Biden out of the 2024 campaign.
“We were friends for 50 years,” Jill, 73, told the Washington Post in an interview published Wednesday that was billed as her final sitdown while in the White House
“It was disappointing.”
The Bidens have largely bitten their tongues when discussing the internal revolt following the president’s disastrous showing in his one debate against Republican Donald Trump June 27.
While Joe Biden, 82, had initially insisted that he would carry on in the race, pressure from top Democrats — led by Pelosi, the former House speaker — forced him to announce his withdrawal on July 21.
“Let’s just say I was disappointed with how it unfolded,” the first lady reiterated to the Washington Post.
“I don’t know. I learned a lot about human nature,” she said, adding, “I think that’s all I’m going to say.”
At the time, The Post reported that Pelosi had played the “bad cop” to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s “good cop” in convincing the president to bow out.
Other outlets reported that Pelosi threatened to release internal polling showing that Biden had no chance against Trump if the president insisted on carrying on.
Pelosi then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination rather than advocating for an open primary — only to later blame Biden for not exiting the race quicker.
“Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” she told the New York Times in an interview published Nov 8.
Weeks earlier, Pelosi had defended her actions in an interview with The Guardian, saying she thought Biden was “one of the great consequential presidents of our country.”
“I think his legacy had to be protected,” she added. “I didn’t see that happening in the course that it was on, the election was on.”
The Bidens and Pelosi are not believed to have made up since the drama
Last week, Biden claimed in an interview with USA Today that he could have won re-election over Trump if he had not quit the campaign.
“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes,” he said of his chances.
Meanwhile, Jill Biden was spotted enjoying a friendly chat with Trump when both attended the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris last month.
“Joe and I respect our institutions, our traditions,” the first lady told the Washington Post of that interaction, “and it’s very important to me that they continue and we — What would be the point of nastiness?”
When asked about her husband’s legacy, Jill said: “I hope that they remember Joe as a strong, empathetic president with integrity and character.”
“I mean, character really is everything, isn’t it?”
