Appearing on MSNBC Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., defended President Biden’s leadership from critics within her own party and dismissed a poll showing that voters were more concerned about the economy than abortion.
Host Andrea Mitchell confronted Pelosi with a video clip of Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., demanding “new blood” within the Democratic Party after being asked if she’d support President Biden running again in 2024.
However, Pelosi shrugged off calls for new leadership and lavished praise on President Biden.
“I say, just win, baby. Just win. If that’s what you have to say to win, fine,” she began, referring to vulnerable House Democrats like Slotkin, who are trying to distance themselves from the president. After saying she’d support members of her party that were critical of Biden, she defended him.
“[He’s] done a spectacular job, he’s had a better two years than most presidents you can name, certainly in the recent generations,” Pelosi said of Biden. She listed COVID-19 relief legislation like the American Rescue Plan, as well as the Inflation Reduction Act.
Several polls have shown voters’ top concerns are the economy and inflation, and that they put greater trust in the GOP to tackle these issues.
But Pelosi rejected the notion that Democrats weren’t appealing to voters’ concerns. Mitchell wondered why the White House wasn’t winning over voters with their messaging, citing a recent New York Times poll showing independent female voters cared more about the economy than abortion.
“I dismiss that,” Pelosi said. “I can tell you that women’s concerns about their freedom are very, very much still very significant in terms of how they will vote. In fact, 80% of people who care about a woman’s right to choose say they will – it will determine who they vote for,” she argued.
The New York Times poll also connected the President’s approval rating to independent and Democratic voters shifting to the GOP.
Several Democrats running for re-election have attempted to distance themselves from the unpopular president in campaign ads, but their voting records still show they vote with Biden and Pelosi 100% of the time.
A Fox News poll from October showed only 33% of voters would re-elect the president. The majority of Democrats don’t want the president to run again, according to one poll from June.
