Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggested President Joe Biden should speak with "serious journalists" after many have expressed concern for his health and ability to lead the country in the wake of his tumultuous debate with former President Donald Trump.
Pelosi, a California representative, made her suggestion during a Wednesday interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell.
The former Speaker said she had not spoken with Biden since the debate, though noted she was regularly in contact with the president. When asked if she had any questions on whether Biden's performance was "one bad night" or something "more serious," Pelosi lauded legislation passed under the Biden administration.
"We have all these things that he was masterful in helping to ... write, and to pass," she said. "So, he has vision, he has knowledge, he has judgement, he has a strategic thinking and the rest — he has a bad night."
However, the former Speaker said she believed it was a legitimate concern to question whether Biden's performance was an "episode" or "condition," though claimed Trump told "a pack of lies" during the debate.
"It's very hard to debate someone when you have to undo, debunk everything they're saying," Pelosi added. "Both candidates owe whatever test you want to put them to in terms of their mental acuity, and their health. Both of them."
Mitchell argued Biden "should have been prepared" for Trump's responses, to which Pelosi noted debate moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, both of CNN, did not provide real-time fact-checking.
“It’s going to be up to Joe Biden to do what he thinks is — there’s no more patriotic person in our country than this President of the United States. Nobody less than the former president. Joe Biden — I trust his judgment,” she said later.
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"Again, I’m not a doctor. I can’t say what happens three, four years down the road. But I think that in my experience, which is what you asked me, I think that he will continue to be a great president," Pelosi continued.
Mitchell then asked if there was anything Biden could do "off the teleprompter" to quell concerns over his health.
“I think my recommendation is for him to have some interviews with serious journalists, you among them," Pelosi responded. "Serious journalists, no-holds-barred, any question is fair, and just sit there and be Joe."
During her Tuesday appearance, Pelosi also panned the Supreme Court's recent ruling on presidential immunity, suggesting the high court created an "imperial presidency."
Over the weekend, Pelosi appeared on CNN with Bash and said Biden has had a "great presidency" despite having a "bad night."
“When I debate with him about legislation ... he’s right there,” she said. “So, in any case, it was a bad night. Let’s not sugarcoat that. It was a bad night. It was a great presidency.”
