Former President Barack Obama was reportedly caught off guard and angered when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swiftly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee, just hours after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.
According to a forthcoming book by ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, Pelosi described Harris as “brilliantly astute” and said she had “full confidence” in her ability to defeat then-Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Pelosi’s rapid endorsement came less than 24 hours after Biden’s withdrawal, surprising several senior Democrats, including Obama.
In his new book Retribution, Karl writes that Obama, who had urged senior Democrats to allow “a process” to unfold before backing any successor, was “not happy” with Pelosi’s swift endorsement.
“The Obamas were not happy,” a Pelosi confidant told Karl. “This person summed up Obama’s message to Pelosi as, essentially, ‘What the f*ck did you just do?’”
In excerpts obtained by the Daily Mail and the New York Post, Karl reports that Obama and Pelosi had privately agreed to refrain from making early endorsements and shared concerns about “anointing” Harris without an open primary process.
When Pelosi moved forward with her endorsement, Obama called her directly to express his displeasure, Mediaite reported.
“That train has left the station,” she reportedly fired back, citing Biden’s own quick backing of Harris.
A source close to Obama told Karl that the conversation between the former president and Pelosi amounted to “good-natured ribbing” rather than anger, though a Pelosi ally described Obama as “genuinely irritated.”
During an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday, Karl said Obama’s frustration stemmed from what he described as a “pact” between the two leaders to hold a primary after they had jointly worked to persuade Biden to withdraw from the race.
“So the two of them had been basically working to try to get, you know, Biden out of the race. And they had been 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, a meeting of delegates, something, something. And don’t just hand it over to Kamala Harris. And they had had a pact on this,” Karl told the hosts.
“[Harris] gets out and everybody endorses her within hours. You know, [Josh] Shapiro, [Gretchen] Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, they’re all endorsing 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. I actually spoke to somebody who overheard the phone call. And what Obama says is basically: ‘Nancy, what was that all about?’ And clearly irritated.”
Karl added: “Now, I’ve spoken to people close to President Obama who say he was just kind of giving her — joshing with her and giving her a hard time. I’ve spoken to another, you know, person who is very close to Pelosi who says, ‘No… he was angry.’ The clear message was, ‘Why did you do that?’”
The former president waited five days before endorsing Harris publicly, a delay that fueled speculation about his doubts regarding her ability to win.
By the time heavyweights from the Clintons to Gavin Newsom had fallen in line, Pelosi had, as Karl writes, “no choice. The only thing she could do was try to help her win the election.”
Trump went on to destroy Harris in the Electoral College while also becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since George W Bush won it over then-Democratic presidential nominee and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
A husband’s habits have more influence on his wife’s health than people may even imagine. Even minor decisions, like missing workouts or smoking, can silently impose long-term risks, including those relating to the breast.
Although a woman’s own diet, physical activity and daily habits play crucial roles for her health, research suggests that a husband’s lifestyle choices as well can make an impact.
Two everyday habits men have can influence women’s breast health in subtle ways, experts say. Couples who address these behaviors as a team can not only improve their health, but also enhance their bond.
Although it may not always be obvious, a husband’s lack of activity can shape his wife’s daily routines over time. In long-term relationships, couples tend to mirror one another’s behaviors, so if one spends extended periods of time sitting, misses exercise, or has irregular eating habits, the other may fall into the same rhythm over time.
Scientific research links physical inactivity and body fat to raised risk of breast issues, particularly in women over 40. Being inactive may upset hormone balance, for example, estrogen, and raise the risk of abnormal cell growth in breast tissue. As the couple settles into an inactive routine, it is increasingly hard to be energetic or maintain healthy weight.
Smoking is an underrated hazard in the home. Even if a man smokes outdoors or in another room, poisonous particles cling to his clothes, hair, skin, and furniture. This “third-hand smoke” has a long life — several hours after a cigarette has been stubbed out — still poisoning loved ones with cancer-inducing chemicals.
Women, especially those who are premenopausal, are at higher risk of breast problems when they are consistently exposed to second-hand or third-hand cigarette smoke. The World Health Organization estimates that women having smokers in the home are likely to have a 20–30% higher risk compared to their counterparts in smoke-free homes.
Secondary smoke increases the chances of heart disease, lung disease, and reproductive issues. A husband does not even have to smoke in front of his wife. The leftover chemicals he brings into shared spaces can be harmful by themselves.
This is confirmed by evidence: a study in the British Journal of Cancer found that non-smoking women exposed to secondhand smoke had a 24% higher risk of breast cancer, and risk was higher with longer and more intense exposure. Similarly, a Japanese study showed a dose-response association between husbands’ smoking and risk of breast cancer in women.
Remember that small routine changes can help couples remain healthier and develop a healthier relationship.
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