House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi on Thursday declined to say whether President Joe Biden should seek a second term in 2024 or if his fellow Democrats should split and let a younger candidate run.
Pelosi sidestepped questions about Biden’s future, which came from a reporter during a press conference at the Capitol, and instead launched in full support of the president’s successful 2020 campaign.
“President Biden is the President of the United States of America. He did a great service to our country; he defeated Donald Trump. Let’s not forget that.
Pelosi said, “If you care about the air we breathe, the water we drink, our children’s education, jobs for us … our um, their families, pensions for their seniors, any You can name the subject.”
“I’m not going to get into politics about whether the president should run,” she continued, before taking other questions.
The reporter took the question in response to Biden’s Sunday “60 Minutes” interview, where the 79-year-old said he had not decided strongly about running again, but intended to do so.
During the “60 Minutes” segment, Biden told reporter Scott Pelly that it “remains to be seen” if he will throw his hat in the ring and added: “It’s too early to make a decision like this.”
More than half of Democratic voters polled in late August said Biden should step down from the ticket and make room for a new candidate. If he serves a full second term, he will be 84 when he expires.
Many Democratic lawmakers took a lukewarm or tough stance when asked about Biden’s 2024 race, but some refrained from outright calling for him to retire.
After deferring questions about the president’s staying power earlier in the summer, Ohio Democrat Representative Tim Ryan, suggested that Biden should sit He dropped out of the race before joining him at the 9 September rally.
“My hunch is that we need new leadership across the board, Democrats, Republicans. I think it’s time for a generational move for new leaders on both sides,” Ryan said. wfmj-tvwhile pointing to a potential Republican candidate Donald Trumpwhich is 76.
In April, Biden reportedly told former President Barack Obama that he intended to run again, because he thought he was the only candidate who could beat Trump.
September 1 Wall Street Journal vote It was found that if elections were held this month, Biden would beat Trump by six points in a rematch of the 2020 contest.