Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently suggested that President Biden should be added to Mount Rushmore along with the other monumental presidents who have fundamentally shaped the United States. The 84-year-old California Democrat claimed that Biden has been such a “consequential president” that he deserves to be carved into history among the American greats.
Pelosi sat down with CBS journalist Lesley Stahl, addressing accusations of leading an effort to force Biden to drop out of the presidential race. Pelosi denied these claims, stating, “He was in a good place to make whatever decision – the top of his game. Such a consequential president of the United States, a Mount Rushmore kind of president of the United States.”
Stahl further pressed Pelosi on her praise of President Biden, “Are you really saying that he belongs up there on Mount Rushmore? Lincoln and Joe Biden?” The former House Speaker answered, “Well, you got Teddy Roosevelt up there, and he’s wonderful.” However, she maintained that no one should be removed from the monument, clarifying, “I don’t say take him down. But you can add Biden.”
During the interview, Pelosi heavily emphasized that she was not part of any campaigns to force Biden out of the race. “No, I wasn’t the leader of any pressure [campaign],” Pelosi told CBS. “Let me say things that I didn’t do: I didn’t call one person. I did not call one person. I could always say to him, ‘I never called anybody.'”
Pelosi formerly
spoke about Biden’s status in the 2024 race. “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. The, 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. Not me.”
The American Tribune initially reported on the news that Biden would no longer be pursuing a second term where the president shared
on X, “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Biden added in another statement, “For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
Watch Pelosi’s interview below:
