Nancy Pelosi Reveals Whether She’s Ready to Depart Congress
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi attends the International Crimea Platform summit, organised by Ukraine and Croatia, in Zagreb, on October 25, 2022
Oleg BurunovNancy Pelosi’s remarks come as the results of the November 8 midterms for the US House of Representatives are still in the air, with thousands of votes yet to be counted. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, has told an American media outlet that she doesn’t have “any plans to step away from Congress.”
When asked about whether she would make a decision about seeking a leadership position if Democrats manage to beat the odds to keep the lower legislative chamber, where thousands of midterm election votes have yet to be counted, Pelosi made it clear that she was “not making any comments until this election is finished, and we have a little more time to go.”
“I wish it would be faster, but it isn’t,” Pelosi noted, adding, “[…] there are all kinds of ways to exert influence […] speaker has awesome power, but I will always have influence.”
AmericasMan Who Attacked Pelosi’s Husband Was in US Illegally – Reports3 November, 13:43 GMTThis followed the California Democrat hinting in a separate interview with another US broadcaster that last month’s life-threatening attack on her husband Paul Pelosi may affect her decision on whether to quit her job in Congress or not.Earlier this month, Paul was released from a hospital after undergoing treatment for serious injuries sustained during an alleged hammer attack at his residence in late October.
Nancy Pelosi told the media outlet that her decision would depend on “the wishes” of her family, underlining, however, that “none of it will be very much considered until we see what the outcome of all of this is,” in an apparent reference to the results of the November 8 midterm elections.
Pelosi spoke a few weeks after Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin, 46, called for “new blood” and a “new generation” to step up and be at the helm of the party. She was echoed by 53-year-old Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, who told a US media outlet that “Rep. Slotkin shares the same perspective as me and the majority of the class of 2018.” The remarks came as a trio of young Democrats, including Hakeem Jeffries, 52, as well as 59-year-old Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, 43, have been trying in the past several years to take the reins of the Democratic Caucus.Separately, Pelosi said “Yes, I do” when asked by the outlet whether she believes that President Joe Biden should run again in the 2024 election.
AmericasDemocrats Retain Control of the Senate in Tight Midterm RaceYesterday, 03:06 GMT“He has been a great president and he has a great record to run on,” the House Speaker argued, also crediting POTUS with helping turn out the votes necessary for narrow victories in key battleground states during the mid-terms.
“I do want to salute President Biden for his campaigning, [former US] President Obama, all of it raising the urgency of the election and the awareness that people must vote. And that they shouldn't listen to those who say this is a foregone conclusion because of history, but it's about the future, and get out there and vote,” Pelosi said.
This came after Biden claimed that he feels good about his further presidency after the midterm elections as the Democratic Party managed to retain control of the Senate following Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’ re-election victory in in Nevada.The remarks were preceded by the 46th US president making a fresh slip-up last Saturday, when he mistakenly thanked Colombia instead of Cambodia for hosting the ASEAN Summit.Biden’s numerous gaffes continue to draw criticism from Conservatives, who have repeatedly argued that such escapades are a sign of health problems, suggesting that the Democrat, who is the oldest president in the history of the US, is not mentally fit to run the country. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll released shortly before the midterms, Biden’s public approval rating plummeted to 39%.
