Nancy Pelosi blames President Biden for withdrawing late

In an interview with The New York Times published on November 8, former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Joe Biden for withdrawing too late, preventing the selection of a candidate to replace him in the presidential election.

President Biden suspended his re-election campaign in July after a dismal debate performance against his rival Donald Trump. Democratic leaders reportedly pressured Biden to drop out despite the leader initially insisting on staying in the race.

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Pelosi is believed to be one of the main figures putting pressure on Biden. Although she lost her position as Speaker of the House after Republicans took control of the chamber in 2022, Pelosi remains an influential figure among Democrats in the legislature.

After dropping out of the race, Mr. Biden immediately chose Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate, while the Democratic Party should have held a primary election again.

President Joe Biden and Rep. Nancy Pelosi at the White House in 2023

“If the president had stepped aside earlier, there might have been other candidates in the race. The expectation was that if the president stepped aside, there would have been an open primary,” Pelosi told The New York Times .

The Democrats had to change horses midstream and introduce a new candidate who had not gone through the primary election just months before the election, resulting in their candidate losing to his Republican opponent.

Pelosi said that Biden's immediate endorsement of Harris made it virtually impossible for Democrats to have a primary. "If it had happened earlier, it would have been different," Pelosi said.

The former House Speaker stressed that although the primary is largely a formality because Ms. Harris is likely to win, if it is held, the vice president will enter the election in a stronger position with the opportunity to introduce himself to voters nationwide.

President Biden has not commented on Pelosi's new comments.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ba-nancy-pelosi-trach-tong-thong-biden-rut-lui-tre-185241109102719399.htm