Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi twisted the knife even further into President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris by suggesting Democrats should have gotten the opportunity to pick another candidate.
The 84-year-old also said that if Biden had dropped out earlier, the party she has led for decades would have had time to consider its options.
The devastating comments from the California lawmaker to the New York Times comes as civil war has erupted in the Democrats over Donald Trumps rout.
Pelosis admission that she did not want Kamala Harris to automatically become the nominee after Joe Bidens mid-July drop-out appears to be damage control by the longtime Democratic kingmaker after this weeks embarrassing loss.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., arrives as supporters wait to hear Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris concede the election, at Howard University on November 06, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Pelosi said she wished Harris was not automatically thrust into the partys nomination
The veteran lawmaker admitted that she wanted the presidents campaign cancellation, which she helped orchestrate, to go a different way.
Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race, Pelosi said.
The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary.
That primary would have allowed many different Democratic candidates to throw their hats in the ring and make their case to the delegates.
An array of candidates appeared to be in the offings, some floated Michelle Obama, others said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom denied that he had would replace Biden earlier this year when pressed by DailyMail.com, though many reports indicate he is a top prospect.
Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reacts as she delivers remarks, conceding 2024 U.S. presidential election to President-elect Donald Trump
Pelosi was seen emphatically talking to Democratic bosses at Harris concession speech. Above she is seen discussing with Donna Brazile, the former DNC boss, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser
Pelosi and Biden sat far away from each other at Ethel Kennedys funeral last month
But that primary never happened.
Immediately following Bidens announcement on July 21 that he would not be seeking reelection after all, he endorsed his vice president.
And because the president endorsed Kamala Harris immediately, that really made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time, Pelosi shockingly admitted.
If it had been much earlier, it would have been different.
That didn’t happen, the lawmaker said. We live with what happened.
Pelosi also said Harris may have won the open primary, though it would not have been a certainty.
And as I say, Kamala may have, I think she would have done well in that and been stronger going forward, Pelosi continued. But we don’t know that.