Pelosi Urged Biden Not To Debate Trump In A ‘Play To His Ego’: Book
A newly released book about the 2024 election claims that House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., privately advised President Joe Biden against debating Donald Trump last year.
Journalists Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes discussed their findings with Tara Palmeri, formerly of Politico, as part of their research for the book Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House.
In the final days before Biden exited the 2024 presidential race, the authors uncovered details of a behind-the-scenes rift between Biden’s inner circle and members of the Democratic Party, including Pelosi.
According to their reporting, Pelosi urged Biden not to participate in the highly anticipated debate against Trump. Biden’s weak and faltering performance ultimately eroded confidence among Democrats, contributing to his decision to step aside.
“Joe Biden wanted to debate really badly,” Allen explained. “He wanted this fight. He relished it. You’ve heard Biden before say things like ‘I want to meet him out behind the schoolyard.’ He really wanted to debate.”
Allen continued, “Pelosi went to him and tried to play to his ego, saying, ‘You shouldn’t lower yourself, you shouldn’t lower the presidency to Donald Trump.’ Even in her mind, she would say to him, ‘Don’t roll around in the mud.’ Remember, she hates Donald Trump… She kind of lays it on thick with Biden and says, ‘This is going to lower you’ because she knows that might appeal to him.”
According to Allen, Pelosi likely doubted Biden’s ability to hold his own in a debate with Trump.
“If she thought Biden was going to beat Donald Trump in a debate, she would have been telling him to debate,” Allen remarked.
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Alongside Biden’s former advisor Anita Dunn, Parnes noted that several individuals worked behind the scenes to persuade him not to go through with the debate.
However, as his polling numbers declined, Parnes acknowledged that the campaign found itself in a difficult predicament.
Leading up to Biden’s scheduled debate with Trump in June, Pelosi commented that she would “never recommend” engaging in a debate with Trump but admitted it would be “a good one.”
Pelosi played a significant role in Biden’s eventual withdrawal, as his disastrous debate performance solidified his realization that defeating Trump was unlikely.
The book also reveals that former President Barack Obama “lacked confidence” in Kamala Harris’s ability to challenge Trump in the 2024 election. Behind the scenes, he worked discreetly to push for a “mini-primary” after then-President Biden officially stepped down.
According to the book, this behind-the-scenes maneuvering sheds light on the Democratic Party’s internal struggles to find a viable candidate to replace Biden. The revelations suggest that Obama did not want Harris to secure the nomination.
Despite eventually endorsing Harris five days after Biden’s departure, Obama’s initial reluctance underscores the skepticism at the highest levels of the Democratic leadership.
Jonathan Allen, co-author of the book and an NBC political reporter, told Morning Joe on MSNBC that their sources indicated Obama “didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats” and instead supported an open convention.
“So President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama. And he also didn’t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden. He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats,” Allen stated. “And he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary or an open convention or mini-primary leading to an open convention. He did not have faith in her ability to win the election.”
Allen elaborated, “So, and as it turned out, she didn’t win, but he was really working against her.”
He continued, “In one moment, he had set up a phone call with Congressman [Jim] Clyburn from South Carolina on the day that Joe Biden handed off the baton to Kamala Harris, and Obama had set up a call with Clyburn for like 5:30 that afternoon.”
“And Clyburn thought to himself, ‘This guy is going to try to rope me into the open convention thing. I better get my endorsement of Harris out there fast.’ So this is a short conversation and when Harris talked to Obama on the day that Biden handed off to her, Obama was unwilling to give his endorsement then,” Allen added.