Pelosi crosses paths with Biden for the first time since orchestrating his ouster

Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden crossed paths at Ethel Kennedy’s memorial service in Washington on Wednesday, after not speaking for about three months since the former House speaker staged a pressure campaign to persuade the 81-year-old Biden to step down race to withdraw from the presidency.

Pelosi and Biden sat next to each other at the memorial service and were separated by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. It was unclear whether they spoke during the service.

Pelosi joined the day before Guardian Columnist Jonathan Freedland on his Politics Weekly America podcast and was asked for an update on her conversations with Biden after “a few months have passed” since their argument following his debate appearance. Pelosi responded that she had not spoken to him “since.”

Pelosi said she didn’t believe the “course he took” would have ended in a victory against former President Donald Trump, which is why she pressured the president to pass the torch.

“I pray for it,” Pelosi said. “I have the utmost respect for him. I think he is one of the most consequential presidents in our country. I think his legacy needed to be protected.”

On July 21, less than a month after a disastrous debate against Trump, Biden withdrew from the race. He immediately endorsed Harris as his successor.

Pelosi said in August that she had never expressed specific concerns to him about Biden’s age or stamina.

She also never publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the race after his debate with Trump, although she came close during a “Morning Joe” appearance that is widely seen as the tipping point that ultimately led to the president’s decision.

It has since been reported that the 84-year-old speaker emeritus privately urged the president after the debate to suspend his re-election campaign. Sources told The Associated Press in the days before Biden’s exit that Pelosi had warned the president that his candidacy could harm Democrats at all stages of the November vote.

Pelosi said on the podcast that her call was “simply to put him on a better path.” She said Biden made the final decision and chose to exit. The two had been friends for decades before she joined Congress, she added.

“I think he has some discomfort,” Pelosi said, adding candidly: “Maybe there are some people around him who may not have forgiven me for my role.”

But Pelosi called the summer’s events “almost irrelevant now” and said it was necessary to focus now on the two different visions between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.

“Elections are decisions. You decide to win. “I decided some time ago that Donald Trump would never again set foot in the White House as President of the United States,” Pelosi said.

“When you make a decision, you have to make every decision in favor of profit.”

In this election, Pelosi said she was proud of Harris “not because she’s a woman, but because she’s the best.” Pelosi also noted that she would never say the country isn’t ready for a woman president, even if she were Trump should win in November.

“I think every woman who ran — Hillary Clinton’s race — helped Kamala Harris,” Pelosi said.

“Kamala Harris is not running because I will be the first woman or the first woman of color. She’s running with her strength, her knowledge of politics, strategy, presentation and the rest. I think that’s a different strategy than Hillary Clinton.” But Hillary Clinton’s race made further progress for women in the presidential election.”

Still, Pelosi won’t mention Trump’s name, equating it with a swear word.

“I think it’s a grotesque word,” Pelosi said. “When I was raised Catholic, as I am now, if you said a bad word you could burn in hell if you didn’t have the opportunity to confess. I don’t want to take any risks.”