‘Et Tu, Nancy?’ NYT Columnist Says Dems Pulled a Julius Caesar on Biden With ‘Coup’ Ahead of DNC

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd accused high-ranking Democrats of strong-arming President Joe Biden out of the 2024 presidential race in what she called a “coup” on Saturday.

While many conservatives have referred to Biden’s unceremonious exit from the race in such a way. Dowd used the word “coup” multiple times and referenced the betrayal of Julius Caesar in an opinion piece she penned hours before Democrats were set to make their nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris official.

Dowd wrote that in July as it was reported that top Democrats were urging Biden to exit the race, a plot unfolded to convince the country’s 46th president to abandon his reelection bid – which he did on July 21.

“At some point, when the polls cratered, Democratic mandarins decided to put the welfare of the party — and the country — ahead of the president’s ego, and stop catering to his self-regarding fantasy that he was the only one who could beat Donald Trump,” she wrote in a piece that was headlined, “The Dems Are Delighted. But a Coup Is Still a Coup.”

Dowd lambasted Democrats for experiencing “euphoria” and “ecstasy” ahead of the Democratic National Convention. She added:

It’s going to be a glorious coronation — except that everyone’s mad at one another. Top Democrats are bristling with resentments even as they are about to try to put on a united front at the United Center in the Windy City. A coterie of powerful Democrats maneuvered behind the scenes to push an incumbent president out of the race. It wasn’t exactly “Julius Caesar” in Rehoboth Beach. But it was a tectonic shift and, of course, there were going to be serious reverberations. Even though it was the right thing to do, because Joe Biden was not going to be able to campaign, much less serve as president for another four years, in a fully vital way, it was a jaw-dropping putsch.

Dowd named former President Barack Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as among those with “fingerprints” on Biden’s decision to drop out. She opined Pelosi was hesitant to partake in the “bloodletting” but had no choice with Biden primed for a defeat in November.

She claimed prominent Democrats put on a display of “grandiose flattery” of Biden after “knifing” him and claimed First Lady Jill Biden and Hunter Biden were “not fooled or appeased by” any of it. Dowd wrote:

As much as she cared for the president, Pelosi would never choose helping the House of Biden over helping her beloved House of Representatives. Their alienation of affection was clear in interviews she did to promote her new book, “The Art of Power.” One of the most ruthless and successful tacticians in congressional history seemed sheepish about knifing her pal, and conflicted over whether to take credit. Et tu, Nancy? Biden must have thought.

She concluded those who she said betrayed the president did the right thing as they prevented Biden from a likely blowout at the hands of former president Donald Trump, who she said would “soil democracy” if given another four years in the White House.

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