Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:45 pm
During an interview on CBS This Morning, Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi said that she might have retired if Hillary Clinton had won the presidential election.
Video:
"If Hillary Clinton had won, I might have gone home. With Donald Trump in the White House, no way." — @NancyPelosi pic.twitter.com/yUSw45zXp8
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— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) June 26, 2017
Pelosi was asked about stepping aside and she answered, “Let me tell you why I should stay instead, because I’m a master legislator, I’m experienced in knowing the institutional memory of the Congress, if Hillary Clinton would have won, I might have gone home, but with Donald Trump in the White House, with a Republican majority in both houses? No way.”
House Democrats would be getting steamrolled by the Republican majority without Pelosi there. If you want to see what can happen to a House caucus with inexperienced leadership in charge, look no further than the flailing performance of House Speaker Paul Ryan.
One of the main reasons that Trump has no legislative accomplishments is that Ryan has been unable to set the calendar and guide legislation through the House. A part of the reason why he has failed has been that Nancy Pelosi has kept House Democrats unified and together.
Republicans came into this Congress with the idea that they could divide Democrats and peel off votes in the House and Senate if they needed them, but Pelosi and Schumer have kept Democrats together.
Nancy Pelosi is not the reason why Democrats lost special elections in deep red districts. Anyone who believes that doesn’t understand what the leadership in the House does. House Democratic leadership isn’t sitting around running election strategy.
It is highly likely that many veteran Congressional Democrats postponed their retirement plans when Trump won. If the House flips in 2018, Democrats will be thankful that they Nancy Pelosi leading the charge to halt the Trump agenda.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
