As far as Joe Biden is concerned, he's staying in the race. He's made that crystal clear multiple times in his interview with George Stephanopoulos, his letter to congressional Democrats, and plenty of times during campaign events. If we take Biden at his word, which admittedly doesn't mean much, he's in it to win it.
But does former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi know something that we don't? Despite Biden's public assurances that he's staying in the race, Nancy Pelosi's appearance on MSNBC Wednesday is raising doubts and has many speculating that she knows something that the public isn't privy to.
During her appearance on MSNBC, Pelosi appeared to imply inside knowledge of things going on behind the scenes that conflict with Biden's public statements about staying in the race.
"So Madam Speaker, you just went through the president's record, but let me ask you about the current moment. Does he have your support to be the head of the Democratic ticket?" asked MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire.
"As long as the president has — it's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," she said. "We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short. The, I think, overwhelming support of the caucus, it's not for me to say. I'm not the head of the caucus anymore, but he's beloved, he is respected, and people want him to make that decision, not me."
The main problem with this response is that Biden has stated multiple times that he is staying in the race. It's hard to believe that Pelosi didn't know that; Lemire even pointed it out.
"He has said — he has made the decision," he told Pelosi. "He has said firmly this week he is going to run. Do you want him to run?"
"I want him to do whatever he decides to do, and that's the way it is," she said.
Then she suggested that a decision still hasn't been made yet: "Whatever he decides, we go with. I think it's really important, and I would hope everyone would join in, to let him deal with this NATO conference. This is a very big deal. 30 heads, over 30, heads of state are here. He is the host of it, and that means not just hosting, but that means orchestrating the discussion and setting the agenda, and he's doing so magnificently."
She added, "And I've said to everyone, let's just hold off. Whatever you're thinking, either tell someone privately, but you don't have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week."
.@SpeakerPelosi asked about Biden's candidacy:
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 10, 2024
"I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that's the way it is. Whatever he decides we go with." pic.twitter.com/HqaRGtv2dP
Hold the phone here. Is something about to happen this week? Pelosi can't claim to have been unaware that Biden already said he was staying, especially after Lemire told her as much. She seems to be under the impression that something is about to happen this week.
Speculation is understandably rampant on social media. That said, while her remarks don't mean that Biden is going to drop out, it does suggest she might know that he hasn't made a true decision. If I might be allowed to speculate, the real discussion may be about how Biden can leave the race while maintaining some dignity in the process.
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