MSNBC's Symone Sanders-Townsend blasts Nancy Pelosi for helping orchestrate 'very public demise' of Biden
WASHINGTON, DC: In a pointed critique, MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend accused Nancy Pelosi of undermining President Joe Biden in the final stretch of the 2024 election, allegedly paving the way for the party’s eventual loss.
While hosting 'The Weekend' on Sunday, November 10, the former Biden advisor claimed Nancy Pelosi played a key role in the POTUS' "very public demise" and should bear responsibility for the election fallout, as per Mediaite.
Symone Sanders-Townsend's critique of Nancy Pelosi
During the show, Leah Daughtry, co-chair of the DNC Rules Committee, commented, "With all due respect, a lot of people on Capitol Hill, they don’t have the answers," leading Symone Sanders-Townsend to say, "Nancy Pelosi, everybody talks about how the Speaker Emerita, you know, she’s so strategic, she can count… but my question is: Where is your calculator now?"
She suggested that Pelosi's push to sideline Biden had detrimental consequences. "She played in presidential politics this cycle, and she helped orchestrate the very public demise of the president," remarked the 34-year-old.
Pelosi and other senior Democrats are rumored to have urged Biden to step aside following his rocky debate performance to allow for an open primary, theoretically providing the party with stronger options heading into the election.
According to Sanders-Townsend, Pelosi’s actions backfired, making it difficult for Democrats to maintain unity and a clear message.
Reflecting on Biden’s endorsement of Harris as his successor, she praised the president for his loyalty, saying, "Thank God for Joe Biden, that he came out and, yes, endorsed his VP. ’Cause these people wanted an open primary! For what?"
She added, "I’m looking for the magic wand that apparently the Democrats on Capitol Hill think that we have. I hope, I surely hope, that Democrats eke out the majority in the House."
"But if they don’t, I think the people that had so much to say about the president and the vice president earlier this summer, I think those people need to take a back seat. They obviously fleeced the vice president’s campaign and made a whole bunch of money!" concluded Sanders-Townsend.
Nancy Pelosi expresses regret over timing of Joe Biden's exit from 2024 race
In an interview with the New York Times, published on Saturday, Nancy Pelosi expressed regret about the timing of Joe Biden's exit, claiming that his immediate endorsement of Kamala Harris prevented the party from holding an open primary.
"Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race... The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary," said the former House speaker.
She added, "And because the president endorsed Kamala Harris immediately, that really made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had been much earlier, it would have been different. But that’s not, we’re not here to agonize. We’re here, again, to organize on how we go forward."
When asked about her role in his exit from the 2024 race, Pelosi stated, "The president made his own decision to step aside and to endorse Kamala Harris. He made a patriotic, selfless decision, for which we are all very grateful. So I thank him for that. I had no reason to earlier say anything to the president."
Amid intense scrutiny over his ability to serve a second term, President Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed Vice President Harris to take his place.
During her appearance on 'Morning Joe' on July 10, Pelosi told the hosts, "It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short."
"I think overwhelming support of the caucus — it’s not for me to say, I’m not the head of the caucus anymore — but, he’s beloved, he is respected, and people want him to make that decision," stated the 84-year-old.
