MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski seemed pessimistic on Thursday on President Biden continuing his election bid, admitting that he “may or may not be” the Democratic presidential nominee.
Brzezinski seemed resigned to prominent Democratic lawmakers’ push to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket to give them a better chance of beating former President Trump. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who wields considerable influence and power in the Democratic Party, has been reportedly working behind the scenes on the effort and told Biden personally that he can’t win.
“I trust Joe Biden’s abilities. I also trust Nancy Pelosi’s political acumen. Nobody knows politics more than her,” Brzezinski said on Thursday. A strong supporter and longtime friend of Biden’s, Brzezinski has previously been strongly defensive of him staying in the race.
The co-host’s words came after Pelosi reportedly confronted Biden about his poll numbers last week, which have been lagging since his disastrous debate performance against Trump last month.
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“The Dems need to get it together. They really need to get whatever they’ve got going, going. Whatever it is, the problem should not be our candidate. The focus should be on Donald Trump,” Brzezinski said on Thursday. “you know, it may or may not be Joe Biden.”
She continued, noting she has some faith in the president still, but that she also trusts Pelosi’s abilities.
“Nobody knows politics more than her. And nobody, more than Nancy Pelosi – she does not get out there without information to back it up. She doesn’t take risks, and she knows her politics,” Brzezinski said. “She knows her numbers.”
CNN reported that in a private call last week, Pelosi told the president he can’t beat Trump and that he could also “destroy Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November if he continues seeking a second term.” However, the outlet’s sources declined to say whether she directly told him to step down.
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A Politico report published Monday stated Pelosi “has been working the phones since June 27 in hopes of finding a way to ease him off the ticket” as she is now “convinced Biden will lose.”
Brzezinski’s words reflect a change in her attitude toward Biden’s viability as a candidate, and are also significant as Biden is an avid watcher of the program and called in last week to declare he was staying in the race.
In the days immediately following the debate, she blamed his handlers for his performance and insisted Biden would be fine to continue running.
“My family and I, as you know, have known this man for decades, and his family, as well. Yes, I know them personally. And I still believe in Joe Biden,” she said, adding, “I’ve learned that counting him out is always a mistake, and doing that now could be catastrophic for our country.”
Her co-host and husband, Joe Scarborough, admitted on Thursday as well that Biden should listen to warnings about his polling from party lawmakers. He also slammed the president’s inner circle for appearing to shield him from advice on stepping aside.
“You know, it’s really incumbent on people that are around Joe Biden to step up at this point and help the president, and help the man they love, and do the right thing. This is not going to end well if it continues to drag out,” he said.
