Barack Obama was ‘not happy’ with Nancy Pelosi after Kamala Harris 2024 endorsement, book claims

“This person summed up Obama’s message to Pelosi as, essentially, ‘What the f–k did you just do?’” reads an excerpt from the new book “Retribution” by Jonathan Karl.

A new book claims Barack Obama was displeased with Democratic phenom U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi after the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives swiftly endorsed Kamala Harris for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination.

Just 24 hours after then-President Joe Biden shocked the world on July 21, 2024, by dropping out of the race for re-election and endorsing Harris, Pelosi issued a statement declaring her “enthusiastic support” for the then-vice president. Pelosi praised Harris as “brilliantly astute” and said she had “full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”

In the newly released book “Retribution,” which details President Donald Trump‘s 2024 election and political comeback, author Jonathan Karl shares that, according to Pelosi aides, Obama was “not happy” with the California congresswoman’s quick endorsement. Obama reportedly preferred that the Democratic Party have some sort of primary “process” three months before Election Day.

“This person summed up Obama’s message to Pelosi as, essentially, ‘What the f–k did you just do?’” reads an excerpt from the book published by the Daily Mail.

Karl, an ABC News correspondent, writes that Obama was caught off guard by Pelosi’s endorsement of Harris, as the two influential Democrats had been in “regular communication” when Biden, 81, appeared to be close to deciding not to seek a second term.

“They agreed Harris should not simply be handed the nomination unchallenged,” according to Karl’s reporting. However, given Biden’s own endorsement of Harris shortly after dropping out, Pelosi reportedly told Obama, “That train has left the station.”

A source close to Obama pushed back against the framing of Pelosi’s camp, telling Karl that the 44th president of the United States wasn’t actually angry with Pelosi and described the phone conversation as “good-natured ribbing.”

Another source close to Pelosi told Karl that the California congresswoman recalled the exchange differently and believed Obama was “genuinely” irritated with her.

According to “Retribution,” some expressed doubt that Kamala Harris could win the election, which she ultimately did not.

A senior adviser to President Biden, who also worked in the Obama White House, told Jonathan Karl that was the real reason Obama didn’t want Pelosi to endorse Harris.

“There’s only one Black Jesus,” the senior Biden adviser said, apparently referencing the popularity of Obama as America’s first Black president.

Karl writes that, ironically, Pelosi wasn’t a big fan of Harris and expressed privately to Biden in 2020 that she had reservations about him picking her as his running mate. However, several major Democrats also quickly endorsed Harris, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even Democrats believed to have presidential aspirations, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

“She had no choice,” Karl wrote about Pelosi’s endorsement. “No other candidates had stepped forward – Kamala Harris was it. The only thing Pelosi could do was try to help her win the election.”

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama eventually endorsed Kamala Harris in a campaign video on July 26, nearly a week after Biden dropped out.

During a recent talk in London with author and poet Chimamanda Adichie, Harris addressed the concern that there was no primary process before she was ultimately coronated as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

“I know that lots of people have talked about how a primary should have been done. You had 107 days. Did any of the people who wanted a primary actually say how this would have happened?” asked Adichie.

“No,” said Harris. “And by the way, I said anybody who wants to run, jump on it, but I’m running.”