President Joe Biden, in a recent interview with CBS, confessed that his decision to withdraw from his presidential reelection race was influenced by leading Democratic figures, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Biden revealed that his party colleagues were concerned that his continued participation in the race could negatively impact their own electoral prospects. "The polls we had showed that it was a neck and neck race, woulda been down to the wire. But what happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was gonna hurt them in the races. And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic, Biden stated to CBS News Sunday Morning host Robert Costa.
According to The Post Millennial, Biden's decision came after his debate performance with former President Donald Trump on June 27, which raised questions about his ability to run again among Democrats, Democratic donors, and a significant portion of the mainstream media. This debate was one of the earliest in general election history in the United States. Despite these concerns, Biden maintains that had he remained in the race, it would have been a close contest with Trump. However, national polls suggest otherwise, indicating Trump's significant lead in most battleground states.
Biden's withdrawal from the race was swiftly followed by his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, a move also supported by former President Barack Obama. The transition was swift, with Biden's withdrawal and Harris's nomination occurring on the same day. Supporters of the newly appointed Democratic candidate were quick to label her as the "grassroots" candidate, despite her not having received a single vote.
While Pelosi publicly expressed her full confidence in Biden's ability to seek reelection, reports from the Daily Mail suggest that she, along with Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), were working behind the scenes to replace Biden. Following his withdrawal, Biden immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement on the November ticket.
Biden, who had previously pledged not to step down, now admits that he never envisioned serving more than one term. He saw his role as a transitional figure, paving the way for a new generation of Democratic leadership. When I ran the first time, I thought of myself of being a transition president, Biden said. "I can't even say how old I am, it's hard for me to get out of my mouth," he added. "But, things got moving so quickly, it didn't happen.
Biden's comments about Pelosi's role in his decision to withdraw come as White House senior advisor Anita Dunn departs her current position to work for a Kamala Harris super PAC. You know, clearly there were leaders of the party who decided to go ahead and go very public. And that gave permission to other people to go public, she said. Pelosi, when questioned about rumors of Biden's anger, expressed her affection for him to the New Yorker magazine, stating, He knows that I love him very much. I pray so. I cry so. However, she also recently admitted to Rolling Stone that she was never that impressed by Bidens reelection campaign.
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