Pelosi Torches Trump’s Unhinged Debate Performance

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 27: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, May 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Pelosi and her Democratic House colleagues discussed the recently... WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 27: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, May 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Pelosi and her Democratic House colleagues discussed the recently passed House bill "The Heroes Act" and criticized the Trump administration's lack of a plan for nationwide coronavirus testing. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Thursday ripped President Donald Trump’s debate performance earlier this week, saying it demonstrated that the President has “no respect for the office he holds.”

Pelosi chastised Trump’s refusal on Tuesday to condemn white supremacists, a move that both Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized.

“What we saw that night was authenticity on both sides of the stage,” Pelosi said. “The President, authentically a bully. Joe Biden, authentically a decent person, who cares about America’s working families.” 

The speaker suggested that the President’s behavior during the debate debased a forum that was intended to be a rigorous “exchange of ideas.”

“This is something quite different,” Pelosi said, accusing President Trump of “undermining our institutions, undermining our democracy.” 

In August, Pelosi had advised against Biden debating Trump, saying that the Democratic nominee shouldn’t “dignify” a debate with the President because he had little respect for facts.

“They are not supposed to be about skulduggery on the part of somebody who has no respect for the office he holds, much less the democratic process,” Pelosi said at the time.

During an MSNBC interview on Wednesday, Pelosi had called Trump’s debate performance a “political nervous breakdown, a meltdown.”

A number of Trump allies and aides appear to agree with that assessment, suggesting that Trump’s strategy on Tuesday only weakened his campaign against Biden.

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Notable Replies

  1. “What we saw that night was authenticity on both sides of the stage,” Pelosi said. “The President, authentically a bully. Joe Biden, authentically a decent person, who cares about America’s working families.”

    In a nutshell.

    Now if she can preview the other “debates,” no one will have to actually watch them.

  2. Damn right, Madam Speaker.

  3. A number of Trump allies and aides appear to agree with that assessment, suggesting that Trump’s strategy on Tuesday only weakened his campaign against Biden.

    Burst, damned dam, burst.

  4. Her tone & message…perfect

  5. O/T, but not by much —

    I was caught a little emotionally off guard this morning when Frank Luntz shared a personal story about Joe Biden.

    Appearing on Morning Joe Thursday, Luntz revealed that he had a stroke in January while conducting a focus group in New Hampshire. After a week in the hospital, he ran into Joe Biden — who instantly sought to comfort him when he received the news.

    “When he was informed of what happened to me … he came over to me, and gave me the biggest hug,” Luntz said. “And he didn’t let go. And I know how that felt. … It’s like all this weight had left me.”

    The pollster lauded Biden’s empathy.

    “Joe Biden is a kind man,” Luntz said. “He’s a decent man. He’s been through hell himself, on several occasions.”

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