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As she prepares to leave the White House, First Lady Jill Biden shared her thoughts in an interview with The Washington Post. She opened up about her disappointment in former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who played a role in President Biden stepping out of the 2024 race.
“It’s been on my mind a lot lately, and—” Jill Biden said. “We were friends for 50 years. It was disappointing,” she told the Post in a Wednesday piece.
Pelosi had joined “Morning Joe” in July, shortly after President Biden’s shaky debate performance. On the show, Pelosi said, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” even though Biden had repeatedly assured he would stay in the race.
“Let’s just say I was disappointed with how it unfolded,” Jill Biden remarked.
Pelosi was seen as a driving force behind the Democratic push for Biden to step aside. After Vice President Kamala Harris lost to President-elect Trump, Pelosi expressed regret that Biden hadn’t dropped out earlier.
Back in June, speculation swirled about Biden stepping down after the debate. Despite his insistence that he wouldn’t, reports suggested Democratic leaders like former President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Pelosi urged him to reconsider. They feared he wouldn’t beat Trump.
Jill Biden told The Washington Post she believed her husband could have served another term. “I mean, today, I think he has a full schedule. He started early with interviews and briefings, and it just keeps going,” she said.
Last week, President Biden shared a different perspective with USA Today. “Who the hell knows? So far, so good. But who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” he admitted.
Jill Biden also reflected on the president’s choice to pardon their son, Hunter. “Joe really wrestled with that decision,” she said. “I mean, we started— he started at the point where he said he wasn’t going to pardon Hunter. But then I think things changed. Circumstances changed, and it became quite apparent and obvious that the Republicans weren’t going to stop.”