President Joe Biden on Sunday declared he wouldn’t run for a second term following a chaotic time highlighted by his terrible debate in June. Although the official story implies a shared understanding among Biden’s inner circle that the party required a change in direction, new reports indicate a far more intense behind-the-scenes conflict.
Early Saturday, Biden had reassured his top advisors that the campaign was moving forward with full momentum. Yet, following a thorough discussion with his two closest advisors, Biden had changed his mind by the late evening. Sources are now suggesting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was the one who pushed him to make a sudden decision to step down from the race for the presidency.
Though isolated due to testing positive for COVID, Biden noted new information, such as a drop in his fundraising activities and alarming survey results. Under increasing scrutiny from senior Democrats and his past Senate peers, Biden’s choice to step down from the presidential contest was greatly influenced by his desire to shape the narrative, which was also important to first lady Jill Biden.
According to insiders, top advisors were tense, fearing that Pelosi, who had been quietly shaping the party’s inner workings, could soon make a public announcement about Democratic survey findings indicating Biden’s unstable standing. This development aimed to intensify party unity, possibly accelerating Biden’s campaign’s end. “Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way,” revealed one Democrat to POLITICO. “She gave them three weeks of the easy way. It was about to be the hard way.”
“We were giving him the respect of the weekend to make his decision. We were hopeful that this is the decision we would make,” the source said. A lawmaker close to the Democratic leadership told the outlet that the president had “gone offline” spending time with his family. “He got the message.”
Over the course of three critical days last week, Biden engaged in confidential conversations with leading Democratic figures, such as Pelosi, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the latter of whom also conducted a secret trip to Biden’s seaside retreat in Delaware, an excursion that was only recently uncovered.
After the NATO Summit, insiders revealed that Pelosi had privately urged the president to consider retiring. Within a span of just one day, similar accounts emerged regarding Schumer’s secret trip, indicating he had shared a similar warning with Biden. This was in line with a report from the Washington Post, which suggested that former President Barack Obama was also privately voicing his doubts about the success of Biden’s campaign.
As Biden’s inner circle debated, Democratic operatives had begun preparing for backup strategies to adjust to possible shifts quickly, yet Biden’s unexpected declaration on Sunday took them off guard. On the last night, members of Biden’s core team securely informed a senior Democrat that the president was determined to persist with his campaign, saying “no ifs, ands, or buts.” The plan was for Biden to remain in office at least until his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. But that didn’t work out, the outlet noted.
Pelosi officially endorsed Harris about 24 hours after Biden announced he was stepping aside.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.