First lady Jill Biden expressed her disappointment with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a new interview with The Washington Post, offering rare public insights into the fractured relationship between her husband, Joe Biden, and Pelosi following the president's exit from the 2024 race.
“We were friends 50 years,” said the first lady in an interview with the Washington Post published on Wednesday. “It was disappointing.”
Pelosi was among the top Democrats to express doubts about Joe Biden's ability to defeat Donald Trump in November after stopping the presidential debate in June. As Biden remains adamant that he will stay in the race, Pelosi is making waves in the conversation as he opens the door to the possibility of ending his campaign.
“It is up to the president whether he will participate. We all encourage him to make that decision because time is running out,” Pelosi said on MSNBC in July.
In a wide-ranging interview, the first lady also publicly revealed her conversation with Trump when the two spoke at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris last month.
“I had a great meeting with your husband in the Oval Office,” the president-elect said, according to the first lady. “Yes,” he replied, “because you two talk.”
Asked why he would communicate with Trump following the bitterness of the campaign, he replied, “Joe and I respect our institutions, our traditions.”
“It's very important to me that they continue with us — ” he continued. “What would be the point of getting upset?”
The interview offers rare insight into how the first family is going through the end of the Biden presidency, including the weeks over the summer when Democrats pushed her husband privately and publicly to drop out of the race.
“Let's just say I'm disappointed in the way it turned out,” said Jill Biden. “I learned a lot about human nature.”
Pelosi privately told President Biden in July that polls show she will not defeat Trump and could increase the Democrats' chances of winning the House in November if she continues in the race, CNN previously reported. A source with direct knowledge described Biden as “boiling” on Pelosi at the time.
After Trump's victory in November, Pelosi blamed the Democrats' loss on Biden. “If the president had gotten out sooner, there might have been other candidates in the race,” the California Democrat said during an interview with the New York Times podcast.
It is unclear whether Joe Biden and Pelosi have spoken since July.
The first lady said she still believes her husband could have served another four years – although she recently said it might not be the case.
“Sure,” she said “I mean, today, I think you have a full schedule. He started early with interviews and summaries, and it continues. “
The first lady expressed concern that the president will not receive credit for some of his achievements, including infrastructure investment. But she also acknowledged the complex dynamics of her husband forgiving their son Hunter in the closing weeks of his presidency.
“Joe fought this decision,” Jill Biden said. “I mean we started — he started when he said he wouldn't forgive Hunter. But then I think things changed. Circumstances changed, and it became clearer and clearer that the Republicans would not give up. “
As her career in the White House ends, the first lady said, “I hope women see me as a person who shows up. You know, mother, grandmother, working woman, sister, friend.”
“I hope they will remember Joe as a strong, compassionate president with integrity and character,” she said. “I mean, character really is everything, right?”
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