Nancy Pelosi endorses Joe Biden in US election

Nancy Pelsosi becomes latest Democrat to endorse Joe Biden for president and says he will ‘get the job done’

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Joe Biden for president, according to a video statement released by her on Monday.

Pelosi’s endorsement of the Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president follows that of U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, former president Barack Obama and former presidential candidate Al Gore, who all threw their support behind Biden earlier this month.

In a pre-recorded statement on Monday, the Democratic lawmaker said that Biden “will be an extraordinary president” capable of leading the country through the coronavirus pandemic, as she cited the former vice president’s actions in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crash.

“He knows how to get the job done”, said Pelosi in her statement. “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,”

She continued: “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.”

The House Speaker added that Democrats in the US Congress had been supported by Biden “every step of the way” whilst president Donald Trump had dismantled the protections offered to Americans under ‘Obamacare’.

Turning to the current crisis, Pelosi said of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee that Biden had been “a voice of reason” during the pandemic, in apparent comparison to president Trump.

“As we face coronavirus, Joe has been a voice of reason and resilience, with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis,” said Pelosi.

The presidential hopeful has publicly condemned the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis, and on Sunday called on the president to step-up.

He said in a tweet: “The American people are stepping up and rising to meet this moment. It’s time for our president to do the same.”

The endorsement comes at an opportune time for Biden, who has struggled to maintain a high profile during the coronavirus pandemic and sustain the sudden momentum he had built in his campaign to become the Democratic nominee.

Ahead of August’s planned Democratic National Convention, Biden needs around 600 more pledged delegates to reach the 1,9991 needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

That comes after all of his competitors in the party have already suspended their campaigns or endorsed him, making his nomination an almost certainty.

Pelosi stayed away from endorsing any of the Democratic candidates for president earlier this year, in an unprecedented contest that included House members and the billionaire and former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

Besides current and past Democratic leaders, Biden has also won endorsements from public bodies such as the 400,000-member United Auto Workers union as well as state politicians like Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, a prominent climate change campaigner.

The endorsements have produced a series of headlines for Biden at a time when his campaign is effectively on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak – whilst president Trump has captured widespread attention with his combative White House briefings.

Meanwhile, numerous states have moved to delay their Democratic primaries whilst the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

Democrats are eager to project a united front against Trump ahead of the November 3 general election, with Biden working to win the support of those who had backed Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

“I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for president: a leader who is the personification of hope and courage, values, authenticity and integrity,” added Pelosi on Monday. “With so much at stake, we need the enthusiasm, invigoration and participation of all Americans — up and down the ballot, and across the country.”