Pelosi Says Biden Insiders 'Should Have Acted' on His Decline
At a POLITICO summit in Sacramento, the retiring House speaker said those close to Biden should have disclosed what they knew about his mental fitness, while conservative outlets accused her of gaslighting about her own knowledge.
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Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 14 items across 3 sources · 19h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
What to know
- Pelosi told POLITICO's Sacramento Summit that people close to Biden during his 2024 reelection bid who knew of his mental decline should have disclosed it.
- She confirmed having private conversations with Biden about her own polling concerns but said she only fully grasped the extent of his decline after the June 2024 debate.
- Conservative outlets (RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Twitchy, Newsmax) characterized her remarks as gaslighting given her decades-long closeness to the Bidens.
- At the same event Pelosi praised Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gavin Newsom as potential 2028 contenders while declining to endorse anyone.
How it unfolded
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The New York Post's follow-up highlighted that Pelosi had separately admitted being 'startled' by Biden's condition even as she criticized allies who allegedly knew more and stayed silent.
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RedState's Bob Hoge argued Pelosi's claim of ignorance was implausible given her decades-long friendship with the Bidens and access to power, calling her account 'ludicrous'.
“Either she's allergic to the truth, or she has the IQ of a lamppost; I can't think of another explanation.”
RedState (Bob Hoge) · Press ↗ -
POLITICO's Dustin Gardiner reported the comments from the summit, framing them as Pelosi's most direct statement on who bore responsibility for concealing Biden's decline.
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The former House speaker said those close to Biden during his reelection campaign should have shared what they knew about his mental acuity, and confirmed private conversations with him about her polling concerns.
“I do think that those who did know should have acted upon that information. Whoever knew.”
Nancy Pelosi · Press ↗ -
Pelosi described conflicting accounts of who knew about Biden's condition, saying staff pointed to the family and the family pointed to staff.
“There was staff saying the family knew. The family said the staff.”
Nancy Pelosi · Press ↗ -
She said the true extent of Biden's decline became clear to her only during his disastrous debate performance in 2024.
“When you think of the debate and how sad that was, that's really when we learned,”
Nancy Pelosi · Press ↗ -
Pelosi lauded Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gov. Gavin Newsom as potential 2028 contenders but declined to endorse any Democrat for the presidential race.
“I think that she has been so operational, and it's just wonderful. Wonderful. I know it's a joy to work with her.”
Nancy Pelosi · Mastodon ↗
What people are saying verbatim
“I do think that those who did know should have acted upon that information. Whoever knew.”
Nancy Pelosi, Former House Speaker · POLITICO / RedState ↗ · Aug 10
“There was staff saying the family knew. The family said the staff.”
Nancy Pelosi, Former House Speaker · POLITICO / RedState ↗ · Aug 10
“When you think of the debate and how sad that was, that's really when we learned,”
Nancy Pelosi, Former House Speaker · POLITICO / RedState ↗ · Aug 10
“I think that she has been so operational, and it's just wonderful. Wonderful. I know it's a joy to work with her.”
Nancy Pelosi, Former House Speaker · Mastodon post citing POLITICO ↗ · Aug 11
“Ever since he was a boy, I would see him work hard in his studies,”
Nancy Pelosi, Former House Speaker · RedState ↗ · Aug 10
“Either she's allergic to the truth, or she has the IQ of a lamppost; I can't think of another explanation.”
RedState (Bob Hoge), Conservative commentator · RedState ↗ · Aug 10