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“The Obamas were not happy,” one Pelosi confidant told Karl. “This person summed up Obama’s message to Pelosi as, essentially, ‘What the f*ck did you just do?’”
The Broken Pact
The tension between the two Democratic heavyweights came after what Karl describes as a “pact” — an understanding that both Obama and Pelosi would stay neutral until the party could organize a mini primary or delegate meeting to select a new nominee.
That agreement was shattered the moment Pelosi went public. Obama reportedly called her directly to express his displeasure, but Pelosi shot back, saying, “That train has left the station.” She reminded him that Biden himself had already endorsed Harris, leaving little room for hesitation.
While one Obama insider tried to downplay the exchange as “good-natured ribbing,” a Pelosi ally told Karl that the former president was “genuinely irritated.”
“Nancy, What Was That All About?”
During an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Karl described the moment Obama found out about Pelosi’s move.
“So the two of them had been basically working to try to get, you know, Biden out of the race. And they had been adamant that when he gets out, we need to have some kind of a process, whether it be a mini flash primary, something, something. And don’t just hand it over to Kamala Harris,” Karl said.
“[Harris] gets out and everybody endorses her within hours… Pelosi actually waits till the next day. But she sees that there’s nothing to hold the tide,” he continued. “So she puts out the endorsement, gets this phone call… And what Obama says is basically: ‘Nancy, what was that all about?’ And clearly irritated.”
Karl said opinions among insiders differ — some insisting Obama was just teasing, others saying he was legitimately angry. Either way, the message was unmistakable: he didn’t want Harris crowned by default.
Obama’s Reluctant Endorsement
Obama waited five days before finally endorsing Harris — a delay that fueled speculation about his doubts regarding her ability to win. By the time he did, the Democratic establishment had already fallen in line behind her.
Karl writes that Pelosi ultimately had “no choice” but to help Harris push forward, even as internal divisions simmered behind closed doors.
But unity came too late.
Harris went on to lose in a landslide, with Donald Trump not only crushing her in the Electoral College but also becoming the first Republican since George W. Bush to win the popular vote.
A Party in Disarray
The Obama–Pelosi fallout underscores the deep fractures within the Democratic Party — one increasingly torn between its old guard and its progressive wing. Obama’s frustration highlighted his fear that rushing to coronate Harris could alienate voters and hand Trump the advantage — which, in the end, is exactly what happened.
Pelosi may have thought she was securing the party’s future. Instead, her haste might have sealed its defeat.
