'Personification of hope and courage': Nancy Pelosi endorses Joe Biden for president

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi endorsed former vice president Joe Biden for president in a pre-recorded video message, praising him as the “personification of hope and courage, values, authenticity, and integrity.”

“Elections are about the future. Now more than ever, we need a forward-looking, battle-tested leader who will fight For The People: a President with the values, experience and the strategic thinking to bring our nation together and build a better, fairer world for our children. For these and other reasons, I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for President,” Pelosi said in the 3-minute video message released early Monday morning by the Biden campaign.

Pelosi touted Biden’s past work in the Obama administration, pointing to his leadership on the “implementation and the accountability” of the 2009 Recovery Act, a fact Biden has sought to highlight as the country faces the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

“He knows how to get the job done. When our nation faced the Great Recession, it was Joe Biden who led the implementation -- and the accountability -- of the Recovery Act, helping create and save millions of jobs. When the Democratic Congress was passing the Affordable Care Act, Joe Biden was a partner for progress in the White House and also championed the Cancer Moonshot,” Pelosi said Monday.

Pelosi also referenced the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in her endorsement, saying that the former vice president "has been a voice of reason and resilience, with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis.”

The former vice president, who has been confined to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, throughout the COVID-19 crisis, has kept in frequent contact with Democratic leaders in Congress like Pelosi, communicating to them his priorities for legislation to combat both the public health and economic impacts of the pandemic.

In an interview with Politico last week, Biden said he would like the next economic stimulus package to be “a hell of a lot bigger,” than the $2 trillion CARES Act passed last month, but added that he did not want to “second-guess” the negotiations led in part by Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

After leading the party to a sweeping victory and re-taking the U.S. House in the 2018 midterm elections, Pelosi made a plea for “enthusiasm” from Democrats in November to deliver majorities in both houses of Congress and “bold progress,” calling on the party to get behind Biden.

“With so much at stake, we need the enthusiasm, invigoration and participation of all Americans – up and down the ballot, and across the country, Pelosi said Monday. “With a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, we will deliver bold progress For The People – when we have President Joe Biden in the White House.”

The Speaker also praised Biden for his work on veterans issues and combating gun violence and as someone who will be “a President with the values, experience and the strategic thinking to bring our nation together and build a better, fairer world for our children."

Pelosi’s endorsement comes as Biden is transitioning to a general election battle against President Donald Trump, and while the speaker held off on issuing a formal endorsement until the primary was wrapped up, Pelosi often offered supportive sentiments for Biden throughout his campaign.

“Quite frankly, with all the respect in the world for Iowa and New Hampshire, I’m not counting Joe Biden out,” Pelosi said in an interview in February, following Biden’s disappointing finishes in early primary contests. “There are still races ahead that are much more representative of the country.”

Pelosi’s endorsement follows a slate of high-profile Democratic leaders and former 2020 presidential candidates who have backed Biden in recent weeks as he has risen to the status of presumptive nominee.

Former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Al Gore, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have all announced endorsements of Biden in the last several weeks.