Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi refused Thursday to say whether President Joe Biden should seek reelection.
Pelosi was asked about her thoughts on Biden’s “60 Minutes” interview in which he refused to commit to running for reelection in 2024. Biden said in the interview that, while he intends to run again, there are far too many other factors at play.
“President Joe Biden had an interview on ’60 Minutes’ where he didn’t commit to running for re-election, and I’m wondering if you think he should run in 2024, or do you think the party should pick someone else or- who might be better?” a reporter asked.
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“President Biden is the president of the United States. He did a great service to our country,” Pelosi said. “He defeated Donald Trump, let’s not forget that. If you hear about, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the education of our children, jobs for our – our – their families, pensions for their seniors, any subject you can name – I’m not going into politics about whether the president should – should run or not.”
“If I were to say to you, I’m running again, all of a sudden, a whole range of things come into play that I have – requirements I have to change and move and do,” Biden said during the “60 Minutes” interview. “In terms of election laws, and it’s much too early to make that kind of decision. I’m a great respecter of fate. And so, what I’m doing is I’m doing my job. I’m gonna do that job. And within the time frame that makes sense after this next election cycle here, going into next year, make a judgment on what to do.”
A recent USA Today/Ipsos Poll found a majority of Democrats think Biden should not run for reelection and that the party needs a shakeup. Fifty-six percent of Democrats think Biden should not run for reelection, while 44% of those polled think he should run for reelection. The poll surveyed 2,345 people between Aug. 18-22. (RELATED: ‘Not Exactly An Open Invitation’: Tapper Presses Sen. Kelly After He Dodges Whether He Wants Biden To Campaign For Him)
Other Democrats have also been hesitant to endorse a reelection bid. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet’s spokeswoman told The Washington Post they had “no comment” when asked whether Bennet wanted Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris to act as a surrogate campaigner.
Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan’s spokeswoman told The Post they “have not asked President Biden or VP Harris to campaign in Ohio and have no plans to do so.”