Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during the anniversary event of the Lower Inflation Act at the White House in Washington, Aug. 16, 2023.
Celel Gunes | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-South Carolina, both Democrats, said Tuesday that it’s fair to raise concerns about President Joe Biden’s health. after his first conversation with former President Donald Trump on Thursday. .
“I think it’s a fair question to say, ‘Is it an episode or is it a condition?'” Pelosi told an MSNBC interviewnoting that the question should be asked of both Biden and Trump.
In a separate interview with MSNBC shortly afterward, Clyburn reiterated that it’s reasonable to wonder whether Biden’s debate performance is indicative of a larger medical issue: “I’m going to have to wait for the medical experts to give their opinion, because I’m not a doctor, so I have no idea to what extent all this may have happened.’
Clyburn added that a phone call with Biden is scheduled for later Tuesday.
In response to Pelosi’s and Clyburn’s comments, the White House said questioning the president’s cognitive abilities is “fair” but that the administration has been quite transparent about his medical records.
“I understand the question. It’s a fair question,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said at a news conference Tuesday when asked about Pelosi’s comments. “Regarding his medical records, we have been transparent, publishing detailed reports from his medical team every year.”
He added that Biden’s medical team did not consider further cognitive testing warranted, despite the debate’s poor evidence.
Jean-Pierre also said Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, had no concerns about the president’s medical condition after the debate: “Not at all.”
Pelosi and Clyburn’s comments come as Democrats monitor the extent of the damage from Biden’s difficult debate. Several polls so far have shown the Biden-Trump rematch remains pretty much dead.
A new CNN poll released Tuesday found Trump with a 6-point lead over Biden in a head-to-head, unchanged from the April poll. The margin of error for this question was plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
The poll polled 1,045 registered voters from June 28 to 30, the three days after the debate, meaning it represents the immediate reactions of respondents.
Both Democrats reiterated their support for Biden as long as he remains in the presidential race.
“I want this ticket to continue to be Biden-Harris, and then we’ll see what happens after the next election,” Clyburn said.
President Joe Biden is greeted by U.S. Congressman Jim Clyburn upon his arrival at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in West Columbia, South Carolina, January 27, 2024.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
Clyburn and Pelosi are two of Biden’s closest allies. Clyburn in particular was instrumental in Biden’s victory in 2020, as his endorsement provided a significant boost and helped the president secure support among black voters.
But their comments Tuesday were some of the first from high-profile Democrats to publicly validate recent concerns about the president’s ability to run a winning campaign against Trump.
Several hours after Pelosi appeared on MSNBC, her spokesman, Ian Krager, doubled down on her support for the president.
“Speaker Pelosi has complete confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025,” Krager said in a statement to CNBC.
Despite Pelosi’s efforts to emphasize her support for Biden, her previous admission that there are concerns about the president opens the door for other members of the party to do the same.
US Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, on Tuesday became the first Democrat to formally call on Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not to himself, I hope he will make the painful and difficult decision to retire,” Doggett said in a press release. “I respectfully invite him to do so.”
A Biden campaign official responded in a statement to NBC News that the president “remains” in the race.
Later on Tuesday, Adam Frischthe Democratic candidate who failed to defeat Republican Rep. Lauren Bobert in Colorado last election cycle followed suit: “We deserve better. President Biden should do what’s best for the country and drop out of the race .”
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Pelosi and Clyburn’s television appearances.
