Obama and Pelosi are both radical Leftists. But their relationship may be on the rocks.
And Barack Obama lambasted Nancy Pelosi with a rage-filled phone call.
Former President Barack Obama wasn’t thrilled when Rep. Nancy Pelosi jumped the gun and endorsed Kamala Harris right after Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 race. In fact, he picked up the phone to give her a piece of his mind, as revealed in a new book that’s stirring up the pot.
Pelosi didn’t waste any time, praising Harris as “brilliantly astute” and declaring her “full confidence” that the former California senator could take down President Trump. This came less than a day after Biden called it quits on his re-election campaign.
Obama, on the other hand, favored letting things play out naturally to pick the best Democrat to face Trump. He reached out to Pelosi soon after her announcement, feeling like they’d been aligned on holding back, according to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl in his book “Retribution.”
A close ally of Pelosi spilled to Karl that “The Obamas were not happy.” This insider boiled down Obama’s call to the former speaker as basically, “What the f–k did you just do?”
Reports have long suggested that the 44th president pushed for an open convention instead of just crowning Harris following Biden’s surprise exit. He harbored real doubts about her skills and whether she could actually win against Trump.
Pelosi pushed back during the conversation, telling Obama, “That train has left the station,” likely nodding to Biden’s immediate backing of Harris after stepping aside.
Karl points out that both Obama and Pelosi “agreed Harris should not simply be handed the nomination unchallenged.” As the heavyweight duo in the Democratic Party, they had supposedly decided to sit out endorsements.
They’d been chatting regularly in the lead-up to Biden’s July 21, 2024, announcement, which made Obama’s shock all the more intense when Pelosi broke ranks.
One person near Obama downplayed the exchange as “good-natured ribbing,” insisting it wasn’t a fiery argument, per Karl.
Still, that source explained Obama was curious about the sudden move: Why endorse Harris so fast? Hadn’t they just days before settled on avoiding any party elite pick for Biden’s successor?
But a Pelosi insider saw it differently, claiming Obama came across as “genuinely irritated” over the line.
Meanwhile, a top Biden aide figured Obama’s five-day delay in endorsing Harris meant he didn’t believe she could pull off a victory. That adviser quipped to Karl, “There’s only one Black Jesus.”
Even Pelosi’s own husband, Paul, raised an eyebrow at her choice. He simply asked, “Kamala?” according to the book.
Nancy wasn’t having it, snapping back, “Don’t start with me.”
Karl wraps it up by noting that with heavy hitters like the Clintons and rising stars such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and California Gov. Gavin Newsom piling on endorsements for Harris, Pelosi found herself backed into a corner.
No rivals emerged, so Harris became the default, and all Pelosi could do was rally behind her to try and secure a win.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
