Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently conveyed to President Joe Biden in a private conversation that polling indicates he cannot defeat Donald Trump and that his pursuit of a second term could jeopardize the Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November, according to four sources familiar with the call.
President Biden reportedly pushed back, asserting that he had seen polls suggesting he could win. One source noted that Biden became defensive about the polling data. At one point, Pelosi asked Mike Donilon, Biden’s longtime adviser, to join the call and discuss the data.
This phone call marks the second known conversation between Pelosi and Biden since the president’s poor performance in the June 27 debate. While the exact date of the call is unclear, one source mentioned it occurred within the past week. Pelosi and Biden also spoke in early July.
None of the sources confirmed whether Pelosi explicitly told Biden that she believes he should drop out of the 2024 race.
In the weeks following the debate, Pelosi has been listening to concerns from her colleagues. She made headlines last week when she stated in an interview: “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”
When asked for comment, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates did not address the specifics of CNN’s report on the recent Pelosi-Biden call. “President Biden is the nominee of the party. He plans to win and looks forward to working with congressional Democrats to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families,” Bates said.
A spokesperson for Pelosi told CNN that the former House speaker has been in California since Friday and has not spoken to Biden since.
CNN