UPDATE BELOW: Did Nancy Pelosi throw Joe under the bus? Maybe, maybe not. During an interview on Morning Joe today, she was asked about Joe running for President and gave a very interesting answer.

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the former speaker, suggested on Wednesday that President Biden should reconsider his decision to remain in the presidential race, the strongest public push yet from a senior member of his party for him to weigh dropping out.

Despite mounting concerns that his candidacy could cost Democrats not only the White House but both chambers of Congress, Mr. Biden has been unequivocal about his intention to seek a second term, telling members of Congress in a letter on Monday that his mind is made up and “I’m firmly committed to staying in this race.” On Wednesday, Ms. Pelosi said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that the president should continue to weigh his options.

Keep in mind, Joe’s handlers already crafted a very stern letter to Democrat lawmakers and essentially told them to knock it off. 

Biden has previously maintained he would not drop out but pushed back even harder in the letter, arguing that voters chose him as the Democratic nominee and that exiting the race now would say that “this process didn’t matter.”

“I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned,” Biden said.

“The voters — and the voters alone — decide the nominee of the Democratic Party. How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that.”

That didn’t seem to phase Senator Michael Bennet. He gave a brutal assessment of Joe’s chances while on CNN last night. 

BREAKING: Democratic Senator Michael Bennet tells @kaitlancollins that President Biden cannot win the 2024 election.

Watch their conversation: pic.twitter.com/XrDINESLVy

— TheSourceCNN (@TheSourceCNN) July 10, 2024

He certainly doesn’t like Trump but it’s also obvious that Bennet, at least momentarily, has had a big reality check and Joe isn’t the guy. Granted Bennet didn’t DIRECTLY call for Joe to step aside, but he certainly got close to the edge. 

Which leads us to Nancy’s comments this morning. 

.@SpeakerPelosi asked about Biden's candidacy:

"I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that's the way it is. Whatever he decides we go with." pic.twitter.com/HqaRGtv2dP

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 10, 2024

Via RedState, here’s the transcript of her remarks. 

LEMIRE: So Madam Speaker, you just went through the president’s record, but let me ask you about the current moment. Does he have your support to be the head of the Democratic ticket?

PELOSI: As long as the president has, 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. The, I think the overwhelming support of the caucus, it’s not for me to say, I’m not the head of the cause anymore, but he’s beloved, he is respected, and people want him to make that decision, not me.

LEMIRE: He has said, he has made the decision. He has said firmly this week that he is going to run. Do you want him to run?

PELOSI: I want him to do whatever he decides to do, and that’s the way it is. Whatever he decides, we go with. I think it’s really important, and I would hope everyone would join in, to let him deal with this NATO conference. This is a very big deal. 30 heads, over 30 heads of state are here. He is the host of it, and that means not just hosting, but that means orchestrating the agenda, and he’s doing so magnificently.

And I say to everyone, let’s just hold off. Whatever you’re thinking, either tell someone privately, but you don’t have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week.

Stop and read that again. Nancy doesn’t outright say Joe has her support. She’s saying he needs to decide something while REALLY dancing around the topic of ‘should Joe stay or go?’ So, while Nancy was chewing on her dentures during the entire interview, she couldn’t commit herself to say directly if Joe should be the Democrat candidate for President, and seemingly forgot that his team has already informed Democrats that he’s running so get out of the way. Or….

(She did, she is fully aware of what he said. She is conveying that she doesn’t consider the matter quite so settled.)

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) July 10, 2024

Wanna bet that Jill is supremely pissed off at Nancy right now?

Clyburn After House Democrat Meeting: "We're Ridin' With Biden" https://t.co/tEwqVwsAkB pic.twitter.com/Znkd9gJ1Gq

— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) July 9, 2024

Nancy, as much as she supremely dislikes Kamala, is bucking the ‘riding with Biden’ trend and that’s going to leave a mark. Will Joe decide something? 

Given Nancy’s comments this morning as well as Michael Bennet’s candid assessment last night, it all depends upon Joe, his ego, Jill, Hunter, and the rest of his handlers to decide one way or the other. 

UPDATE: This condescending reaction from Nancy this afternoon is quite something.

Pelosi may not appreciate the question, but to allude that a black female journalist for a major news organization is somehow unable to comprehend English is pretty beyond the pale. https://t.co/LWvcSEPXGC

— Garrison Douglas (@GDouglasiii) July 10, 2024

Feature Photo Credit: Original artwork by Victory Girls Darleen Click