A former speaker of the House, Representative Nancy Pelosi, is refraining from saying that President Biden should stay in the race, suggesting instead that the Democratic Party will follow “whatever he decides.” 

During an interview Wednesday morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Ms. Pelosi, who retains enormous influence on her caucus, chose to defer to the judgment of Mr. Biden as to whether he is fit to run for re-election. “I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that’s the way it is. Whatever he decides we go with,” she said. 

Ms. Pelosi added that the presidential hopeful is “beloved” and “respected” and that “people want him to make that decision, not me.” 

Still, she also offered the caveat that “time is running short” for Mr. Biden to make a decision. 

Ms. Pelosi’s failure to offer a full-on endorsement reflects a genuine hesitancy, several House Democrats suggested to Axios. “She chooses her words very carefully,” one unidentified Democrat told the outlet. 

Further, Ms. Pelosi’s deference to an impending decision by Mr. Biden suggests that the decision may still be up in the air. The implied uncertainty runs counter to Mr. Biden’s staunch declaration this week that “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Ms. Pelosi’s response to questions on MSNBC comes as seven House Democrats have publicly called for Mr. Biden to drop out of the race after his disastrous debate performance sparked concerns over his fitness to run for a second term. 

The watershed debate has evidently affected the views of voters too, with a new poll placing President Trump with an eight-point lead among registered voters. Seventy-four percent responded that they viewed Mr. Biden as being too old for the job. 

Concerns about Mr. Biden’s ability to capture enough votes to secure the presidency also were raised by Congressman Ritchie Torres soon after Ms. Pelosi’s interview. 

Mr. Torres took to X to call for a “serious reckoning” over the “down-ballot effect” of whomever the Democratic Party nominates. 

“An unsentimental analysis of the cold hard numbers — which have no personal feelings or political loyalties — should inform what we decide and whom we nominate,” he wrote, warning, “If we’re going to choose a particular path, we should be clear-eyed about its consequences.”