Pelosi offered a vague answer when pressed about Biden continuing his campaign: 'I want him to do whatever he decides to do'

• Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday it's up to Biden to decide if he'll continue his reelection bid.
• But the former speaker seemingly didn't give a definitive endorsement of him staying in the race.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday that it's up to President Joe Biden to decide whether he'll proceed with his reelection bid, but added that "time is running short" for the Democratic incumbent.

While speaking on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Pelosi — the former House speaker known for her blunt and straightforward nature — seemingly declined to give a firm endorsement of Biden continuing with his campaign.

"It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," she said on the program. "We're all encouraging him to make that decision. Because time is running short."

She added: "I want him to do whatever he decides to do. And that's the way it is. Whatever he decides, we go with."

Pelosi has long been a major political ally of Biden, helping shepherd key pieces of legislation like the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act through Congress earlier in his term.

But Biden's post-debate standing represents one of the most difficult periods of his political career, as many Democrats remain dismayed by his performance against former President Donald Trump.

While a number of House Democrats have called on Biden to step aside as the party's nominee, no sitting Democratic senator has publicly asked him to do so. But several longtime allies — including Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota — have urged Biden to demonstrate to the electorate in the coming days that he'd be able to effectively wage his reelection campaign.

After days of Democratic unrest, Biden emphatically insisted earlier this week that he wouldn't end his campaign.

But during the MSNBC interview, Pelosi said she wanted to circle back to discussions about Biden's candidacy after the NATO summit being held in Washington, DC. As Biden hosts world leaders in the nation's capital over the next several days, other Democratic leaders will be closely watching to see how he performs on such a visible stage.

"Let's just hold off," she said. "Whatever you're thinking, either tell somebody privately, but you don't have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week."