Jul 23, 2024 11:55 PM IST
Pelosi worked behind the scenes, forming a coup of fellow Democrats to take collective action that would be the final push for Biden to step down from the race
Amid the growing pressure from Democrats, Joe Biden announced his decision to step down from the presidential race on Sunday. In the days leading up to his exit, Nancy Pelosi reportedly played a crucial role in nudging the president to back out of the race. “I think Pelosi continues to show she’s a master political tactician,” Democratic sources told NBC News before admitting that the former speaker was “50% responsible” for Biden’s exit.
How Nancy Pelosi nudged Biden to step down
The 84-year-old worked behind the scenes, forming a coup of fellow Democrats to take collective action that would be the final push for an already vulnerable Biden to step down from the race.
“Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way,” a Democrat familiar with private discussions, who chose to remain anonymous, told Politico. “She gave them three weeks of the easy way. It was about to be the hard way.”
Although Pelosi never publically called out Biden to quit the race, she worked strategically to bring together top Democrats. Two sources revealed to NBC News that Pelosi advised the lawmakers who reached out to her seeking guidance to “speak their conscience.”
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The outlet reports that 13 congressional Democrats called on Biden to stop seeking reelection. This made it the most defections in a single day—a massive blow to Biden’s campaign.
One such vulnerable House Democrat, who spoke to Pelosi last week, told the outlet, “That groundswell on Friday of members calling for him to step down was all Nancy’s doing.” “The gist was that she felt our ability to take back the majority was at risk,” the lawmaker added.