Rep. Nancy Pelosi spoke with ABC News about her longstanding friendship with President Joe Biden and the potential impact of a Kamala Harris presidency.
Pelosi, the former House speaker, admires Kamala Harris as a person of deep faith, a quality that Pelosi says shines through in her community care and actions. Pelosi’s admiration for Harris’ strength, both personally and officially, in terms of her policy knowledge, strategic thinking, and eloquence in expressing her ideas, is evident.
She also mentioned that she hopes her relationship with Biden will be able to heal after she and other top Democratic officials voiced their opinions for him to drop out of the presidential race following his debate with Donald Trump this summer.
Pelosi discussed what it would mean for her and the country to have its first woman president.
ABC NEWS: Now we’re joined by a very powerful woman herself, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Thank you so much for joining us.
ABC NEWS: We’re talking about power here. Both of you really started your political careers in the San Francisco Bay area. Now, arguably, two of the most powerful women in American politics. What is it about Kamala Harris that you think makes her right for this time?
PELOSI: Oh, I think it’s — I love the fact that we’re going to have a woman and a woman of color to be president of the United States. But what is important is that we have the best person to be president of the United States.
It’s icing on the cake that she has that beautiful diversity. I know her well for a long time. Kamala Harris is a person of deep faith that is reflected in her community care and actions. That’s personally.
Officially she’s strong in terms of her knowledge of policy and her strategic thinking and her eloquence in expressing it, as we see with a woman’s right to choose and so many other issues. Politically, she is very astute. She has won difficult races to get where she is now. So personally, officially, policy wise, politically, she will be able to lead us to victory.
ABC NEWS: I know you said a moment ago that it’s about the right person.
PELOSI: Yes.
ABC NEWS: But as a woman, what does it mean for you to see a woman at the top of the ticket once again? PELOSI: I get emotional about it, but I have to think about what it means to America’s working families. Elections are about the future. And I think that America is ready for a woman president, especially one who is the best qualified person to be president. But all comes down to a kitchen table.
What is it that she means in people’s lives, whether it’s affordability of health care, of housing, of just daily cost. About the security of their jobs and their pensions, education and child care, their children.
I think it’s very, very important for people to hear what she is going to do about it. And the first thing they hear is that she is here for them.
ABC NEWS: Many people say that you are key in leading to the events that caused this moment to happen. You have said with regards to President Biden that we did not have a campaign that was on the path to victory.
Members knew that in their districts, as you know, there was a short time when Americans were bandying about a number of different options for people to potentially replace Biden once he did decide to step aside. What made you within 24 hours endorse Kamala Harris?
PELOSI: Well, from what I said before, she’s politically astute. She is really ready to lead. The president made that as he said he made his decision. No one knew. He made the decision when he, and we thought if and when he did, there would be more of an open process.
But he endorsed Kamala and right away, politically astute person that she is, she wrapped it up, and when she wrapped it up, I endorsed her.
ABC NEWS: Central Park Five on the stage right now, talking to the delegates here. You’ve known Joe Biden for more than 50 years. People have long said that you all have a close relationship.
Was there at any point, once you started seeing the the momentum potentially swinging away from him after the debate where you felt personally like you might have to choose between your country and friendship?
PELOSI: Well, I think that he made the decision for a country. He said, I love being president, but I love my country more. And, he made that decision.
I think it’s very important to recognize the seriousness of a possible presidency of the former president. Donald Trump would be very dangerous in every aspect of our civic, social, political, economic life and damage to our democracy. And that was the decision.
ABC NEWS: Can you share with us the last time you talked with the president?
ABC NEWS: Do you think the relationship will be able to be healed?
PELOSI: Well, I hope so. But what’s important now is as we go forward, there’s a big sacrifice here, a personal selflessness on the part of the president. Now, it behooves us to win this election, to own the ground with that organization, to unify and our message, have the resources to get the job done, not waste any time or anything, and not have any regrets that we could have done something more.
So now it’s onward to the future and, a success. And I very I, I get emotional thinking of the woman being there, but I get very, very happy about the prospect for what it means to America’s working families. My whole politics has always been about the children, and I’m happy for the children.
ABC NEWS: And your book, the ‘Art of Power,’ you talked about how if Hillary Clinton had won in 2016, you would have walked away from Congress. What keeps you there today?
PELOSI: Well, to win this election, to have a majority for the House Democrats, we have to win the White House, win the House, win the Senate, and be able to do some of the things we’re on a path to do before. Joe Biden has a record of that is so, I mean, so prestigious and so successful for a short period of time, the first two years, really getting most of it legislated but executing it in the next two years.
And so we want to save his legacy, which is a valuable one. But part of that legacy is what do we do next for the children, for the families, for the kitchen table, America’s working families?
ABC NEWS: I don’t know if you got a chance to hear it. During your introduction last night, they referred to you as the Mother of Dragons. Of course, a nod to a very powerful woman in Game of Thrones; fitting description.
PELOSI: Well, I don’t know. But I do know that people all over the country, all over the world, have said to me: ‘you’re the most powerful woman in American politics.’ And I would say now, and I’m so happy to be relinquishing that title very, very soon.
ABC NEWS: Nancy Pelosi, we thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate you joining us tonight.
