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Nancy Pelosi Was 'Shocked' at President Joe Biden's Performance During 2024 Debate, Says She Had 'Never Seen' Him Like That
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Nancy Pelosi admitted she was 'shocked' to witness Joe Biden's performance during his 2024 debate against Donald Trump.
Aug. 8 2024, Published 2:11 p.m. ET
President Joe Biden made headlines for freezing up and seeming off during the June 2024 debate against Donald Trump — and Nancy Pelosi was one of the people who was also caught off guard while watching.
“I was shocked,” Pelosi said, adding she’d “never seen” him like that.
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Nancy Pelosi said she was 'shocked' to witness Joe Biden at the 2024 debate against Donald Trump.
Pelosi, 84, said Biden, 81, insisted he was prepared to "handle" the 78-year-old ex-president, but she had concerns the moment it began. She recommended he "own" the stage and take charge, in addition to getting some rest and avoid repeating himself, but things started to shift.
“He’s the president of the United States, a person who for decades has understood a vision of our country based on values, knowledge, issues, therefore judgment about all of it, with more empathy in his heart than anyone,” she said. “Who needs to prep him?”
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Joe Biden froze up during the debate.
As OK! previously reported, Biden announced he was dropping out of the race in July after many Democrats had been saying he's unfit to serve another four years in office.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand out and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," he wrote at the time.
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Joe Biden announced he would not be running for reelection in July.
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- Political Feud Escalates: President Joe Biden Names Nancy Pelosi as One of the Democrats Who Pushed Him Out of the 2024 Race
- Feud Escalates: Nancy Pelosi and President Joe Biden Haven't Spoken Since He Dropped Out of 2024 Race
"Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans," Biden continued. "We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today."
After the news came out, people claimed Biden was upset at Pelosi for urging him to leave the White House after one term.
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Nancy Pelosi said she didn't urge Joe Biden to step down.
However, she fought back at the allegations, stating that information is false.
"That is wrong. I'll tell you what I did not do. I did not call one person. I read in the press that I was burning up the phone lines, and I only called one person, people called me. Some of them I received their calls. Some of I didn't. Didn’t even have time to. I never said, 'put Michael Donlin on the phone.' Never," she said while chatting with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly.
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"Well, let me just say that… I have the highest regard for Joe Biden. He is one of the great most consequential presidents of our time and certainly in American history… When I love him, I’ve loved him for over 40 years, he and his family. And his legacy is very important for our country, and his legacy is one we share because having the majority for part of the time of his presidency. So it wasn't a question of his deciding – It was a question of deciding what kind of campaign would go forward. One of the reasons I ran for Congress this time was to make sure we won the House back and to make sure that Donald Trump never set foot in the White House again," she said.