WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama has privately expressed concerns to Democrats about President Joe Biden’s candidacy, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi privately warned Biden that Democrats could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn’t step away from the 2024 race, according to several people familiar with the sensitive internal matters.
Pelosi also showed polling to Biden that she argued shows he likely can’t defeat Republican Donald Trump — though the former speaker countered Thursday in a sharp statement that the “feeding frenzy” from anonymous sources “misrepresents any conversations” she may have had with the president.
With time racing, Pelosi and Obama are among Democrats at the highest levels who are making a critical push for Biden to reevaluate his reelection bid, as unease grows at the White House and within the campaign at a fraught moment for the president and his party.
Obama has conveyed to allies that Biden needs to consider the viability of his campaign but has also made clear that the decision is one Biden needs to make. The former president has taken calls in recent days from members of congressional leadership, Democratic governors and key donors to discuss their concerns about his former vice president.
Biden has insisted he’s not backing down, adamant that he’s the candidate who beat Trump before and will do so again. Pressed about reports that Biden might be softening to the idea of leaving the race, his deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said Thursday: “He is not wavering on anything.”
If anything, in recent days the president has become more committed to staying in the race, according to one person familiar with the internal discussions.
This story is based in part on reporting from more than half a dozen people who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive private deliberations. The Washington Post first reported on Obama’s involvement.
Influential Democrats from the highest levels of the party apparatus, including congressional leadership headed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are sending signals of concern. Some Democrats hope Biden, off the
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