President Joe Biden is reportedly still upset with three Democratic Party bigwigs for pushing him out of the presidential race: former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Barack Obama, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Despite lingering frustrations, Biden is scheduled to speak in Chicago on Monday night at a convention to reunite the party.
According to multiple unnamed White House insiders who spoke to Politico, Biden is distraught that Obama did not personally call him to voice his concerns about the race.
The report states that Biden “harbors some resentment that Obama — his friend and former boss — did not call him directly to voice his concerns about the campaign in the aftermath of the disastrous Atlanta debate in late June.”The former president did not try to stir up a movement to dislodge Biden from the top of the ticket, but he also didn’t quell one, much to the dismay of some of those closest to Biden.
A senior White House official told the outlet that “Biden views Pelosi as ‘ruthless’ and willing to set aside long-term relationships in order to keep her party in power — and, most importantly, to prevent Trump from returning to the White House.” This unnamed source added, “That’s who she has always been.”
“The president is still smarting but has told people in recent days that he grudgingly respects Pelosi’s actions. ‘She did what she had to do’ in order to give Democrats the best chance to win in November,” Biden told one source, “adding that Pelosi ‘cares about the party,’ not about feelings.”
Regarding Schumer, Politico reports:While Biden and Pelosi remain estranged, the president did speak to Schumer on the day he dropped out, according to a person familiar with the phone call. Biden has expressed less frustration with Schumer, whom he does not perceive as someone at the forefront of the move to dislodge him. Still, he was miffed that the leader of the Senate — an institution he reveres — also played a hand in applying pressure, according to two of the people.
“President Biden is a patriot and set an example for all Americans by once again putting his country above all else,” Schumer told Politico. “We were all proud to work alongside him to achieve an historic legislative record that will leave him with an indelible legacy as president.”
