Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks at the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act event at the White House in Washington on August 16, 2023.
Celel Gunes | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and House Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, both Democrats, said Tuesday it was fair to raise concerns about President Joe Biden’s fitness after he voted in on Thursday stumbled in his first debate with former President Donald Trump.
“I think it’s a fair question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?'” Pelosi said in an MSNBC interview, noting that the question should be asked of both Biden and Trump .
In a separate MSNBC interview shortly afterward, Clyburn reiterated that it was fair to question whether Biden’s debate performance was a signal of a larger medical problem: “I’ll have to wait for the experts in medicine to express their opinion, because I am I’m not a doctor, so I have no idea to what extent any of this might have happened.”
Clyburn added that a phone call with Biden was scheduled for later Tuesday.
In response to Pelosi and Clyburn’s comments, the White House said it was “fair” to question the president’s cognitive abilities but that the administration had been sufficiently transparent about his medical records.
“I understand the question. It’s a fair question,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference Tuesday when asked about Pelosi’s comments. “We have been transparent about his medical records and have released detailed reports from his medical team every year.”
She added that despite his poor results in the debate, Biden’s medical team does not believe further cognitive testing is warranted.
Jean-Pierre also said that Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, had no concerns about the president’s health after the debate: “Not at all.”
Pelosi and Clyburn’s comments come as Democrats monitor the extent of the damage from Biden’s difficult debate. Several polls have so far shown that the rematch between Biden and Trump remains a near dead heat.
A new CNN poll released Tuesday showed Trump with a 6-point lead over Biden in a head-to-head matchup, unchanged from April poll results. The margin of error for this question was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
The poll surveyed 1,045 registered voters June 28-30, the three days after the debate, meaning it reflects respondents’ immediate reactions.
Both Democrats reiterated their support for Biden as long as he remains in the presidential race.
“I want this ticket to continue to be Biden-Harris, and then we’ll see what happens after the next election,” Clyburn said.
President Joe Biden is greeted by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn upon his arrival at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in West Columbia, South Carolina, on January 27, 2024.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
Clyburn and Pelosi are two of Biden’s closest allies. Clyburn, in particular, was crucial to Biden’s victory in 2020 after his endorsement provided a crucial boost and helped the president win the support of Black voters.
But her comments Tuesday were among the first high-profile Democrats to publicly acknowledge recent fears about the president’s ability to run a successful campaign against Trump.
A few hours after Pelosi’s MSNBC appearance, her spokesman Ian Krager reiterated her support for the president.
“Speaker Pelosi has full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025,” Krager said in a statement to CNBC.
Despite Pelosi’s efforts to highlight her support for Biden, her earlier admission that there are concerns about the president opens the door for other party members to do the same.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, on Tuesday became the first Democrat to officially call on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
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“Given that President Biden, unlike Trump, has always been committed to our country first and not to himself, I hope he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw,” Doggett said in a news release. “I respectfully encourage him to do so.”
A Biden campaign official responded in a statement to NBC News that the president “remains in the race.”
Later Tuesday, Adam Frisch, the Democratic candidate who narrowly defeated Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado in the last election cycle, followed up: “We deserve better. President Biden should do what is best for the country and withdraw from the race.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Pelosi and Clyburn’s television appearances.
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2024-07-02 20:57:15
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