Pelosi slaps down queries about serving a full term

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday balked at a question as to whether she would serve a full two-year term in Congress after winning reelection in November.

"What is this? What is this? Don't bother me with a question like that," she responded to a reporter's query, per The Hill. She previously announced she would remain a representative in Congress, though she would leave formal Democratic leadership. New York Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries will take her place as party leader in the House.

The California Democrat will lose the office of speaker when Republicans take control of the lower chamber in January. Her replacement is not yet clear, though current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy remains the frontrunner for the job.

Pelosi, 82, has represented her San Francisco district in the House since 1987 and is one of a handful of House speakers to hold the position twice. She, along with President Joe Biden, have long attracted speculation about their political futures linked to their advanced ages.

Biden, 80, is currently the oldest man to have assumed the presidency, having done so at 78. Polling currently indicates that a majority of Democrats want a different candidate to be their nominee in 2024.