Pelosi snaps at reporter asking about Biden: ‘Am I speaking English to you?’
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) snapped at a reporter who was asking her questions Wednesday while walking down a hallway about whether she believes President Biden should stay in the race.
Pelosi told ABC News reporter Rachel Scott she would not make comments in the hallway about “the fate of our nation.” As Scott continued to question her about Biden's reelection, Pelosi stopped and turned to the reporter.
“Am I speaking English to you? I’m not going to be making any statements about any of that right now in the hallway,” Pelosi told Scott, according to a video the ABC News reporter posted on the social platform X.
Pelosi also said she thinks Biden can win in November.
The former speaker raised eyebrows earlier in the day during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” when she said it’s up to him to decide — despite the president repeatedly saying he will remain in the race.
“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi said on MSNBC. “We’re all encouraging him to make that decision. Because time is running short.”
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod said later on Wednesday that Pelosi's comments were significant.
“Nancy Pelosi is a very deliberate person," he said on CNN. “And what she’s saying, delicately and respectfully, is, ‘No, really the conversation isn’t over, and we still need to have this discussion.'"
Biden has faced numerous calls to withdraw from the race after a disastrous debate performance last month. A handful of Democratic lawmakers have called on him to step down from the ticket, but the president has maintained that he will not be exiting the race.
Some news outlets described Pelosi's comments on MSNBC as calling on Biden to reconsider his decision to remain in the raise, a characterization she reportedly took issue with.
In comments to CBS News on Wednesday, Pelosi said that "there are some misrepresentations of what I have said,” adding she "never said he should reconsider his decision."
Pelosi previously demonstrated her support for the president following the debate and has avoided calling on him to exit the race.
The Hill has reached out to Pelosi’s office for further comment.