Pelosi Loses It On Reporter For Asking About Biden’s Candidacy: ‘Am I Speaking English?’
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) tensely rebuked a reporter for probing questions about President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign Wednesday afternoon. This comes during a growing unease within the Democratic Party as the 2024 presidential election approaches, with many fearing that Biden’s candidacy might jeopardize their chances against former President Donald Trump.
Earlier today, ABC News reporter Rachel Scott pestered Pelosi about whether a delay in Biden’s decision was cause for concern. Visibly frustrated, Pelosi responded, “I’m not going to make any comments in the hallway about the fate of our nation.”
Scott continued to question Pelosi on whether she believed the Democrats could win the upcoming election. “Do you believe you should run for re-election?” she asked.
“Am I speaking English?” Pelosi jabbed. “I’m not going to be making any statements about any of that right now!”
“It’s up to the president to decide if he’s going to run,” Pelosi said to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” earlier today. “We’re all encouraging him to make that decision, because time is running short.”
Several Democrats, from Hollywood celebrities to seasoned politicians, have voiced their apprehension about Biden’s ability to secure a victory in November. They fear that not only could he lose to Trump, but he might also drag down the Democratic Party’s chances of maintaining control over Congress. George Clooney published his thoughts in a New York Times op-ed under the blaring headline “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.”
“Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw,” Clooney wrote. “We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign. The George Stephanopoulos interview only reinforced what we saw the week before. As Democrats, we collectively hold our breath or turn down the volume whenever we see the president, who we respect, walk off Air Force One or walk back to a mic to answer an unscripted question.”
Clooney’s about-face comes just weeks after he and other A-listers gathered for a fundraiser with Biden where they lavished his campaign with tens of millions of dollars. Even then, the signs were obvious: former President Barack Obama was seen guiding his former veep from the stage, holding on to his elbow, a repeat performance of their night together in New York just days earlier.
Whatever sway Clooney and the glitterati hold may have arrived too late: by Wednesday it appeared that the White House had limited the list of Democratic defections to just seven members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). Senior Democrats went on the record to reiterate their belief in a Biden-led ticket, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and even progressive darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). And Democratic operatives are even floating the possibility of a “blitz primary” to replace Biden, an idea that Clooney seems supportive of in his piece.
With Biden at the helm, many in the party are grappling with the reality of his lagging popularity and the formidable challenge posed by Trump’s candidacy.
