Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, said on “The Megyn Kelly Show” Monday that Democratic “leaders” are reluctant to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the next nominee because she is “incompetent” and cannot speak without a script.

Following President Joe Biden's lackluster performance in a debate with former President Donald Trump in late June, leading Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama reportedly met with Biden to urge him not to seek reelection. Hanson told SiriusXM's Megyn Kelly that party leaders were initially hesitant to endorse Harris but ultimately caved to pressure due to the “momentum” behind her supporters.

“That's exactly why Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer initially hesitated for three or four days. They really thought they were going to have an open convention, or at least something open, when they removed Joe in a palace coup. They grew up with it, they knew Joe, and they just didn't want to appoint her,” Hanson said.

“Then, within 24 hours, they realized they had momentum and they caved in and said they couldn't deny a black woman a chance as a running mate. But they were very cautious. That argument didn't come from you, it didn't come from me, it didn't come from Republicans or conservatives,” Hanson continued. “The argument for three and a half years has been that you can't get rid of Joe Biden, he's not going to go because he has the insurance of Spiro Agnew in Kamala Harris.”

Hanson also noted that some Democrats have speculated that Biden chose Harris as his running mate to head off calls for impeachment and “resignation.” (RELATED: 'I don't want her to talk to me': Democratic pollster wants Harris to continue avoiding the press)

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“Even on his side, some speculated that he might have chosen her. It would not have been so foolish to pre-announce the gender and race of one's running mate,” Hanson said. “She was so inept that she couldn't even speak publicly about it, so it might have been wise.” [in an] He immediately argued that even if he was impeached, even with the 25th Amendment, no one would impeach him or ask him to resign.”

“Because the alternative was like Agnew and Nixon, until Agnew got into legal trouble and resigned. That's her reputation among Democratic Party leaders, they know it, the media knows it, everybody knows it,” Hanson said.

Just four days before Biden dropped out of the race, reports emerged that Schumer had “strongly” urged Biden to give up on reelection during separate meetings with Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who was also in the White House. Pelosi's frustrations were also growing, and Biden aides reportedly feared she would publicly oppose him.

After Biden endorsed Harris in his second social media post since dropping out, Obama did not immediately endorse her, instead expressing confidence that Democratic leadership would “create a process that will produce an outstanding candidate.” But as momentum grew for Harris, she began receiving backing from top leaders, donors and other politicians.

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