Jill Biden Criticizes Pelosi Over Role in 2024 Election Drama

In a candid interview ahead of her departure from the White House, First Lady Jill Biden expressed her frustration with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) over what she viewed as a betrayal during the turbulent 2024 election cycle. Pelosi’s subtle but impactful moves against President Joe Biden reportedly contributed to the Democratic Party’s internal revolt, ultimately leading to Biden stepping aside as the party’s nominee.

Despite securing over 14 million primary votes and clinching the Democratic nomination, President Biden, then 81, dropped out of the race in July 2024 after a shaky debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Pelosi, along with other prominent Democrats, had privately pressed Biden to step aside, citing concerns about his age, mental sharpness, and electability.

Pelosi’s pivotal moment came during a July appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where she stated, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run.” While framed as neutral, her remarks reportedly emboldened other Democrats to question Biden’s viability publicly.

Jill Biden, long known for fiercely defending her husband, did not hide her discontent with Pelosi’s actions. In an interview with The Washington Post, the first lady reflected on her decades-long relationship with Pelosi, saying, “We were friends for 50 years. It was disappointing.” Her pointed remarks reveal the depth of the Bidens’ sense of betrayal over Pelosi’s subtle role in encouraging dissent within the party.

Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee only fueled tensions within the party. Harris’s eventual loss to Donald Trump underscored the consequences of the party’s fractured strategy. Pelosi, in a post-election interview, seemed to suggest that Biden’s late exit had prevented a competitive primary, leaving Harris in a weakened position.

“Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi told The New York Times. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary.”

Pelosi’s comments highlighted lingering frustrations within Democratic ranks about how Biden’s departure and Harris’s nomination were handled.

President Biden, for his part, has maintained that he would have beaten Trump in a rematch. In a September interview on ABC’s The View, Biden dismissed concerns over strained relationships with Pelosi and others, claiming their relationship was “fine.” However, the fallout from the 2024 election suggests deep divisions within the Democratic Party, with party leaders like Pelosi and Biden at odds over strategy and loyalty.

As the dust settles, it’s clear that the 2024 election will leave a lasting mark on the Democratic Party, both in its leadership and its fractured unity.

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