Nancy Pelosi, whose fingerprints are all over the incident that was tossed out of Biden's window, expressed deep sadness at the breakdown in their relationship.
Their relationship dates back decades, to the rise of Joe Biden, then a young Delaware senator, and the time when Pelosi, a mother of five and avid Democratic volunteer, was hosting one of her go-to political salons in San Francisco. (Her children were employed as waitresses.)
She now praises Biden as one of the greatest and most influential presidents in American history, even going so far as to say he deserves to be inscribed on Mount Rushmore.
But when it comes to campaigning and elections, the former House Speaker has little for sentimentality and prides himself on a reptilian cold-bloodedness.
So when Mr. Biden flopped in the Atlanta debates, losing badly to every other Democratic candidate, Ms. Pelosi quietly got to work. Now just one Democrat in the House but still with enormous influence, she and other party leaders helped push for Mr. Biden to suddenly drop out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
Of course, it's all just business, but Biden doesn't see it that way. Pelosi acknowledges that. The two once-close friends haven't spoken since the president reluctantly left office nearly a month ago.
in Recent Interviews In an interview with New Yorker reporter David Remnick, Pelosi was asked whether she thought the rift could be repaired.
“I hope so. I pray so. I cry so much,” Pelosi told Remnick. “I'm losing sleep over it.”
But do I regret it? No.
Asked at the Democratic National Convention on Monday if she had second thoughts about pushing Biden aside, Pelosi made no attempt to hide her disdain for the very idea.
“Would I do anything differently?” she said, repeating a question posed to her during a brief session with reporters. “Why are you asking me that question? You know, I'm a very cautious person.”
Earlier, Pelosi, speaking at a breakfast for the California delegation, praised Biden for the selflessness of stepping aside and said Monday night's opening ceremony would be a “celebration of his greatness.”
(Biden and his wife, Jill, were scheduled to leave Chicago after the main event, handing the stage and the convention's spotlight entirely to Harris.)
Pelosi continued her impassioned speech amid a brief media barrage.
“His sympathy for the American people is [was captured] “It's because he understands that the baton needs to be passed,” Pelosi said, without mentioning the healthy push Biden needs to move forward.
But to borrow a favorite sermon from Ms. Pelosi, politics is about success at the ballot box.
Asked about Democrats who are upset that Biden was knocked out of the top spot in November's presidential election, Pelosi said firmly: “I just wanted to win this election, so I'm sorry if they're upset, but this country is very happy.”
She cited an Illinois congressman who said Sunday night that more than 1,000 new volunteers signed up immediately after Harris' elevation, “and this is happening all across the country,” she said.
To those who remain disgruntled, Pelosi said, “That's their problem. It's not my problem.”
With both women in Chicago, was she planning to visit Biden? “We'll see. We'll see,” she said. “I've got a lot going on.”
Pelosi turned around and was soon surrounded by a throng of well-wishers, smiling and pointing her elbow at the camera for a selfie with the still-formidable former speaker.
