In late July, US President Joe Biden suspended his reelection campaign, almost a month after a televised debate with former President Donald Trump exposed his apparent cognitive decline. In the weeks between the debate and his withdrawal, Biden was urged by liberal pundits, Democratic lawmakers, and party donors to end his campaign, as polls showed the 81-year-old incumbent losing ground to Trump.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Biden admitted that he was swayed by fellow Democrats who warned him that staying in the race would “hurt them” in their own electoral battles. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was identified as a key figure who influenced his decision to quit the White House race.
Biden’s reelection campaign had been marred by doubts about his mental fitness, with Pelosi being the first prominent Democrat to publicly question his cognitive abilities after the debate. Speaking to MSNBC, she declared that it would be “a legitimate question to say: ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?'” This opened the floodgates for scores of influential Democrats to demand Biden’s withdrawal, including former President Barack Obama.
Pelosi denies leading any kind of effort to force Biden out and refused to say whether she had directly asked him to suspend his campaign. However, she said that she felt the president “did not have a campaign that was on the path to victory.
Former President Donald Trump has characterized Biden’s withdrawal as a “coup” by the Democratic Party. He told the New York Post last month: “They all dumped him, and they said, ‘Either you get out nice or we’re going to go after you.’ And that’s what happened. And he had no choice. There’s no question about it.