Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested on Tuesday that it is valid for people to question whether President Joe Biden’s poor performance at the recent debate was an isolated incident or indicative of a larger issue. “I think it’s a legitimate question to say, is this an episode, or is this a condition? And so when people ask that question, it’s completely legitimate — of both candidates,” Pelosi said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”
Pelosi, who remains a prominent member of the House Democratic Caucus, emphasized that both Biden and former President Donald Trump should undergo mental fitness assessments. “Both candidates owe whatever test you want to put them to, in terms of their mental acuity and their health — both of them,” she added.
When asked for further clarification, Pelosi’s spokesperson Ian Krager stated that she “has full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the issue during the daily briefing, asserting that the administration has been transparent about Biden’s health. “We have put forward a thorough, transparent annual report on his health, so they have said it is not warranted, it is not necessary” to have a cognitive test, she said. Jean-Pierre also noted that Biden’s aides understood he had a “bad night” during the debate.
During the debate, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought and stumbled over his words multiple times. His performance, which even close allies admitted was a setback, reignited speculation about whether he should be replaced as the Democratic presidential nominee. Trump, who is 78, has also faced questions about his mental fitness after mixing up Pelosi with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley earlier this year.
Speaking at a campaign event, Biden, who is 81, acknowledged that he has aged and doesn’t debate as well as he used to but insisted he was still up for the job. Pelosi mentioned that she has heard mixed messages from elected Democrats about whether Biden should remain in the race. “Joe’s our guy. We love him; we trust him. He has vision, knowledge, judgment, integrity. The other guy has none of the above,” she said.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first Democrat in Congress to call on Biden to exit the race. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., also expressed concerns, stating that while it is ultimately the president’s decision, “we have to be honest with ourselves that it wasn’t just a horrible night.”
Pelosi emphasized that Biden must show what he’s like unscripted to the American people. She recommended that he sit down for a few interviews with serious journalists where any question is fair game. “Not one, maybe two — a couple of those. I think that is essential,” Pelosi said.
Later, ABC News announced that Biden would sit for an interview with anchor George Stephanopoulos. Pelosi mentioned that she hasn’t spoken to Biden since the debate. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a close Biden ally, also stated that he has not spoken to the president since the debate.
The White House last released Biden’s health information in February 2024 following a routine physical exam. At that time, Jean-Pierre rejected suggestions that Biden take a cognitive test, saying the president “passes a cognitive test every day” as he “moves from one topic to another topic, understanding the granular level of these topics.”
Trump released a letter from his doctor in November 2023 stating that he was in “excellent” physical and mental health, though the document did not contain any details on vitals or test results.
Concern over Biden’s ability to defeat Trump in November amid questions about his age and mental fitness has reached a fever pitch across the liberal media. Columnists and editors with the campaign’s ear have been urging the president to step aside. Now, members of Biden’s own party, including those at the very top, are voicing their worries after Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
Pelosi did not give a ringing endorsement of Biden when asked by MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. Though she lauded the Biden administration’s achievements, she also echoed fears about Biden’s condition during the debate. “I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?’” she said. “When people ask that question, it’s legitimate.”
Pelosi suggested that both Biden and Trump should take mental fitness tests. “Both candidates owe whatever test you want to put them to, in terms of their mental acuity and their health—both of them,” she said.
The 84-year-old California representative is not the first elected Democrat to acknowledge the questions swirling around Biden’s candidacy. Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett called for Biden to withdraw from the race, and South Carolina Representative James Clyburn, who was essential to Biden’s winning the Democratic nomination in 2020, is also questioning Biden’s stamina in a race against Trump.
Post-debate polls, including Democratic internal polling, show Biden behind Trump nationally and in key swing states. The Biden campaign initially responded to the criticism by decrying the “bedwetting brigade.” However, with Democratic governors holding private calls to express their worry and prominent party members like Pelosi and Clyburn publicly equivocating, it’s clear that Biden’s campaign can no longer afford to dismiss the issue.
Representative Lloyd Doggett lauded Biden for taking over after the “wreckage” of Trump’s presidency and the Covid-19 pandemic but said that “for more than a year, many Americans have indicated dissatisfaction with their choices in this election.” Doggett stated that Biden has continued to run substantially behind Democratic senators in key states and in most polls has trailed Trump.
Doggett referred to President Lyndon Johnson, who “made the painful decision to withdraw” from the 1968 election due to his waning popularity against Richard Nixon. “President Biden should do the same,” Doggett said.
Biden’s lackluster performance at the debate, in which he gave lengthy, often incoherent answers and repeatedly failed to refute Trump’s claims, has created growing waves of dissent throughout the previously united Democratic Party. Democrats have started pushing for Biden to step aside so that a younger candidate can take up the mantle of securing the White House.
While the Biden campaign has rushed to assure donors and activists that the president is still up for the task of defeating Trump, there has been little outreach to the Democrats on Capitol Hill. Democratic Senate hopeful Tim Ryan also called for the president to withdraw from the race, suggesting Vice President Kamala Harris as a replacement.
Representative James Clyburn said during an interview on MSNBC that he would support Harris if Biden “were to step aside.” While Clyburn did not call for the president to withdraw from the race, his comment might mark a significant defection from the South Carolina Democrat, whose endorsement was crucial for Biden’s nomination in 2020.
Source: NBC News, MSNBC, Politico
