Pelosi says time running short for Biden to decide, but he's already said he's staying in race
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, appearing on MSNBC on Wednesday morning, declined to directly answer when asked if President Joe Biden had her support as he seeks reelection amid debate between Democrats on his viability as a candidate.
"It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi told "Morning Joe" co-host Jonathan Lemire. "We're all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short."
"I think overwhelming support of the caucus -- it's not for me to say, I'm not the head of the caucus anymore -- but, he's beloved, he is respected and people want him to make that decision," Pelosi added.
Biden, in a defiant statement to congressional Democrats on Monday, has said he's "firmly committed" to staying in the race to the end.
Lemire followed up by asking Pelosi directly, "Do you want him to run?"
"I want him to do whatever he decides to do," Pelosi responded. "And that is the way it is. Whatever he decides to go with."
"I said to everyone -- let's just hold off. Whatever you're thinking, either tell somebody privately, but you don't have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week. But I am very proud of the president," Pelosi added.
The Biden campaign's response to Pelosi's comments was, "He's running."
Pelosi led House Democrats for the first two years of the Biden administration, helping pass some of his signature policy achievements such as the bipartisan infrastructure law and gun safety legislation. As a Democratic leader who has worked closely with Biden, Pelosi's thoughts on the president's ability to hold the office could carry a lot of weight in an election year where Biden's rematch with former President Donald Trump is expected to be a close contest.
ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, in Biden's first post-debate television interview, repeatedly pressed the president what he would do if Democratic leaders such as Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries and Pelosi were to tell him they were worried his presence in the race would impact the party's chances of controlling the House and Senate.
Biden told Stephanopoulos, "Well, it's, like, they're not gonna do that."
Schumer on Tuesday simply told reporters multiple times, "I'm with Joe" -- but declined to engage in broader questions on Biden's path forward.
Jeffries, who earlier this week said he still supported Biden and that his position remained unchanged, huddled behind closed doors on Tuesday with House Democrats to discuss Biden's path forward.
Some members described the meeting as "rough" and sobering, according to multiple participants. Others described feeling powerless to change course amid Biden's defiance.
After the meeting, a seventh House Democrat -- New Jersey's Mikie Sherrill -- publicly called on Biden to exit the race.
But others, including Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Jim Clyburn, expressed support for Biden.
"Right now, President Biden is the nominee. We support the Democratic nominee," Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said at a press conference.
Senate Democrats also met for their own conference meeting on Tuesday.
Sen. Michael Bennet, during an interview with CNN, said in the meeting he expressed to colleagues his belief that Biden will not defeat Trump this November.
"Donald Trump is on track, I think to win this election and maybe win it by a landslide and take with him the Senate and the House," Bennet said. "For me, this is not a question about polling, it's not a question about politics, it's a moral question about the future of our country and I think it's critically important for us to come to grips with what we face if together we put this country on the path of electing Donald Trump again."
Multiple sources confirmed to ABC that Sens. Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown conveyed similar concerns about Biden's ability to win during the meeting. Brown and Tester are both facing difficult reelection campaigns of their own this cycle.
The Biden campaign pushed back on Bennet's comments, saying the race was always going to be close and is "far from over."
ABC News' Mary Bruce contributed to this report.
