Nancy Pelosi, the veteran Democrat from California, was seen participating in a lukewarm manner in a "We Love Joe" chant for President Biden at the Democratic National Convention.
This came just hours after she had to fend off allegations of a rift with the President.
According to The New York Post, Pelosi, 84, was seen holding a "We [heart] Joe" sign, standing shoulder to shoulder with other Democrats who were enthusiastically expressing their support for the President during his late-night speech in Chicago. However, Pelosi's participation seemed less than wholehearted, as she was seen with a somewhat indifferent expression and appeared to be mouthing the chant quietly.
Earlier in the evening, Pelosi had to defend herself against rumors that Biden was frustrated with her role in an alleged rebellion against him. "Sometimes you have to take a punch for the children," she told CNN, adding, "I did what I had to do." Pelosi declined to confirm if she had spoken to Biden since he withdrew from the race last month, but she did express that her "concern was not about the president, it was about his campaign."
Anita Dunn, a former long-time advisor to Biden who has since left the White House, briefly addressed the rumored feud with Pelosi before the President's speech. "Nobody wants to have a fight with Nancy Pelosi at this time because we're a united party and we're going to be moving forward," she told CNN.
During his speech, Biden also addressed the crowd, stating that it's "not true" that he's holding grudges after he was allegedly pressured to withdraw from a shot at a second term. This came after four sources close to Biden's campaign told the Daily Mail that Pelosi had allegedly threatened to publicly criticize Biden if he didn't end his reelection bid last month, while the President was still recovering from his COVID-19 infection at his Delaware beach house.
The sources alleged that Pelosi threatened to go public with her belief that Biden wouldn't beat former President Donald Trump in a rematch and would release unflattering polling data to back it up. This demand was reportedly enough for the President to have a "come to Jesus" moment, where he and his staff began drafting the letter that ended his 2024 political campaign, released on July 21.
Despite their decades-long political history and mutual support, Pelosi and Biden's relationship appeared to be strained after Biden's poor performance in a debate against Trump in late June and calls from fellow Democrats for him to withdraw from the race. Pelosi confirmed that she had spoken with Biden and received calls from worried Democrats, many of whom were unhappy about their 2024 election odds before he quit the race.
A former senior advisor to Biden, now a staffer for Vice President Harris' campaign, said Pelosi was "absolutely" to blame for ousting the President. In an attempt to mend fences with Biden, Pelosi has given multiple interviews promoting her new book, in which she has lavished praise on the President, suggesting that he deserved to be on Mount Rushmore and that she wasn't concerned about his mental acuity.
Biden, for his part, hasn't spoken much about Pelosi in public, although he did mention her when explaining that the rebellion against him motivated him to withdraw from the race. This series of events underscores the complex dynamics within the Democratic party, as well as the challenges faced by its leaders in maintaining unity and managing internal disagreements.
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