Reporters Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes talked to Tara Palmeri, who used to work for Politico, about some of the things they learned while writing their book \u201cFight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the days before Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, they talked about a secret disagreement between his team and Democratic Party members, which also included Pelosi<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pelosi reportedly asked Biden not to take part in the famous debate against Trump. Biden\u2019s poor, stumbling performance<\/a> made other Democrats lose faith in him, which ultimately caused him to drop out of the race.<\/p>\n Joe Biden wanted to debate really badly,\u201d Allen said. \u201cHe wanted this fight. He relished it. You\u2019ve heard Biden before say things like \u2018I want to meet him out behind the schoolyard.\u2019 He really wanted to debate.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cPelosi went to him and tried to play to his ego, saying, \u2018You shouldn\u2019t lower yourself, you shouldn\u2019t lower the presidency to Donald Trump.\u2019 Even in her mind, she would say to him, \u2018Don\u2019t roll around in the mud.\u2019 Remember, she hates Donald Trump\u2026She kind of lays it on thick with Biden and says, \u2018This is going to lower you\u2019 because she knows that might appeal to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Allen said Pelosi most likely did not believe that Biden could manage a debate against Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cIf she thought Biden was going to beat Donald Trump in a debate, she would have been telling him to debate,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n Along with Biden\u2019s former advisor Anita Dunn, Parnes said that other people worked behind the scenes to tell him not to debate.<\/p>\n Regrettably, Parnes expressed that the campaign found itself in a difficult situation as his poll numbers declined.<\/p>\n To set the stage for Biden\u2019s debate with Trump in June, Pelosi said she would \u201cnever recommend\u201d a debate with Trump but thought it would be \u201ca good one.\u201d<\/p>\n Pelosi played a big role in getting Biden to drop out of the race after the debate made him sure he couldn\u2019t beat Trump.<\/p>\n The book also revealed former President Barack Obama \u201clacked confidence\u201d in Kamala Harris\u2019s ability to defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 election and quietly \u201cworked behind the scenes\u201d to orchestrate a \u201cmini-primary\u201d following then-President Joe Biden\u2019s withdrawal from the race, according to a new book.<\/p>\n The book reveals the turmoil within the Democratic Party as it scrambled to find a replacement for Biden, offering the surprising revelation that Obama did not want Harris to be the nominee.<\/p>\n The reporting reveals a deep sense of skepticism at the highest levels of the Democratic establishment, despite Obama ultimately endorsing Harris five days after Biden handed her the reins.<\/p>\n NBC political reporter Jonathan Allen, who co-wrote the book with The Hill\u2019s senior correspondent Amie Parnes, said on MSNBC\u2019s Morning Joe Tuesday that sources told them Obama \u201cdidn\u2019t think that she was the best choice for Democrats\u201d and instead pushed for an open convention.<\/p>\n \u201cSo President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama. And he also didn\u2019t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden. He didn\u2019t think that she was the best choice for Democrats,\u201d Allen said. \u201cAnd he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini primary or an open convention or mini primary leading to an open convention. He did not have faith in her ability to win the election.<\/p>\n So, and as it turned out, she didn\u2019t win, but he was really working against her,\u201d Allen continued.<\/p>\n \u201cIn one moment, he had set up a phone call with Congressman [Jim] Clyburn from South Carolina on the day that Joe Biden handed off the baton to Kamala Harris, and Obama had set up a call with Clyburn for like 5:30 that afternoon,\u201d the co-author continued<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Clyburn thought to himself, \u2018This guy is going to try to rope me into the open convention thing. I better get my endorsement of Harris out there fast.\u2019 So this is a short conversation and when Harris talked to Obama on the day that Biden handed off to her, Obama was unwilling to give his endorsement then,\u201d Allen added.<\/p>\n