She’s calling for an “intervention” to save the nation from him. He says she’s “crazy.”
The enmity between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deteriorated Thursday into rude-and-then-some questioning of his fitness for office and her sanity, with personal attacks flowing from both the nation’s top elected officials after a dramatic blow-up at the White House.
However intended, the exchanges left uncertain ahead of the 2020 election whether Trump and the Democrats will be able to work together on serious, must-pass tasks, such as funding the government and raising the federal borrowing limit, let alone thornier issues such as immigration, national security and more.
Pelosi went first, with demure shrugs and practiced sass. Then, as a tornado warning blared across Washington, Trump followed with a derisive nickname — something he had declined to give her, up to now.
“She’s a mess,” Trump told reporters at an afternoon news conference in which he lined up White House staff to testify to his calmness the day before when he walked out after three minutes at a meeting with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer.
“Crazy Nancy. … I watched Nancy and she was all crazy yesterday.”
Nancy Pelosi: "I pray for the President of the United States. I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country."
Via ABC pic.twitter.com/E1oKF7B8vW— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 23, 2019
As for himself, he declared, “I’m an extremely stable genius.”
Pelosi scolded back:
“When the ‘extremely stable genius’ starts acting more presidential, I’ll be happy to work with him on infrastructure, trade and other issues,” she tweeted.
There was more, before and after that exchange, for political enthusiasts with the time and interest to follow along.
For those who don’t: The theater came a day after Trump stalked out of the Cabinet Room demanding an end to all congressional investigations before he would work with Congress on repairing U.S. infrastructure or other matters. He apparently was wound up generally over the ongoing congressional Trump-Russia probes into whether he obstructed justice, and specifically by Pelosi’s jab a few minutes earlier at the Capitol that he “is engaged in a cover-up.”
“I don’t do cover-ups,” fumed Trump, who is fighting subpoenas for testimony by current and former White House officials.
Trump rips "crying Chuck" and "crazy" Nancy Pelosi, who he calls "a mess."
He says he was very calm during their meeting yesterday and asks members of his staff to give their version of what went down. pic.twitter.com/BEss1XMyz0
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 23, 2019
Hanging over the increasingly personal exchanges is a drumbeat among about two dozen Democrats and one Republican to launch impeachment hearings against Trump based on special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which described Trump’s efforts to block his federal investigation. Pelosi has resisted that impeachment pressure, preferring a methodical process by which Congress investigates and lays out the facts on the question of obstruction of justice. She says the House is “not on a path to impeachment,” but she’s been clear this week that an impeachment inquiry is not off the table.
Short of that, she’s been happy to give Trump a hard time all year, including questioning his manhood and forcing him to re-open the government without the border wall money he demanded. On Thursday, she said the White House is “crying out” for impeachment — the idea being that a vindication by the Republican-controlled Senate would help assure his re-election.
Trump again claims "I'm an extremely stable genius" pic.twitter.com/Pa64zIeSfW
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) May 23, 2019
When the “extremely stable genius” starts acting more presidential, I’ll be happy to work with him on infrastructure, trade and other issues. https://t.co/tfWVkj9CLT
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) May 23, 2019
On Thursday, subtlety went by the wayside. Pelosi said Trump has established a pattern of unpredictability, and at one point she even joked about the 25th Amendment, the Constitution’s provision laying out the procedure for replacing a president.
“I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference, adding that she prays for him and the nation.
“Maybe he wants to take a leave of absence,” she said. Asked whether she’s concerned about Trump’s well-being, she replied, “I am.”
Trump denied he wanted the House to formally charge him.
“I don’t think anybody wants to be impeached,” he said.
Pelosi, the second in line to the presidency, said she thinks Trump’s actions Wednesday were part of his skill at distraction. But she also suggested what he does isn’t all strategic.
“Sometimes when we’re talking to him he agrees,” she said, only to change his mind. “He says he’s in charge and he may be.”
During questions, Pelosi said she thought a reporter had asked about “statutory” intervention, the 25th Amendment.
“That’s a good idea,” she said with a smile. “I am going to take it up with my caucus. Not that they haven’t been thinking about it.”
“PELOSI STAMMERS THROUGH NEWS CONFERENCE” pic.twitter.com/1OyCyqRTuk
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2019
She has been insulting Trump since the meeting Wednesday that was supposed to be about bridges and other crumbling infrastructure.
“For some reason, maybe it was lack of confidence on his part … he took a pass, and it just makes me wonder why he did that,” she told reporters back on Capitol Hill. “In any event I pray for the president of the United States.”
Trump tweeted back: “Nancy, thank you so much for your prayers, I know you truly mean it!”
When the Democrats in Congress refinish, for the 5th time, their Fake work on their very disappointing Mueller Report finding, they will have the time to get the REAL work of the people done. Move quickly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
I was extremely calm yesterday with my meeting with Pelosi and Schumer, knowing that they would say I was raging, which they always do, along with their partner, the Fake News Media. Well, so many stories about the meeting use the Rage narrative anyway – Fake & Corrupt Press!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
The Democrats have become known as THE DO NOTHING PARTY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
….drug prices, pre-existing conditions and our great Vets. All they are geared up to do, six committees, is squander time, day after day, trying to find anything which will be bad for me. A pure fishing expedition like this never happened before, & it should never happen again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
Zero is getting done with the Democrats in charge of the House. All they want to do is put the Mueller Report behind them and start all over again. No Do-Overs!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
In a letter to her House colleagues, Nancy Pelosi said: “President Trump had a temper tantrum for us all to see.” This is not true. I was purposely very polite and calm, much as I was minutes later with the press in the Rose Garden. Can be easily proven. It is all such a lie!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
Rex Tillerson, a man who is “dumb as a rock” and totally ill prepared and ill equipped to be Secretary of State, made up a story (he got fired) that I was out-prepared by Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Hamburg, Germany. I don’t think Putin would agree. Look how the U.S. is doing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
(AP)
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6 Responses
So basically trump is again shutting down the government because he’s only capable, theoretically, of doing one thing at a time. Democrats came prepared to continue working on infrastructure and trump came prepared to put on a show.
apparently only rt is capable of doing business with people who publicly pour excrement on his head.
They are BOTH a bit crazy….he obviously more so. Pelosi seems to enjoy provoking him to satisfy the far left in her caucus. The country deserves better but sadly its going from bad to worse. Wait until this weekend when he pardons some military who have been convicted by a jury of their military peers for “war crimes”. They will join other “patriots” such as Sheriff Joe and others dreche he has previously pardoned.
Something is wrong with an adult who frequently declarers that he’s “a stable genius”. If it were true it would be obvious to one and all with no need for repeated declarations.
Pelosi is a retarded senile corrupt and evil woman who protects Islamo-Nazis in her party.
The Democrats headed by a Pelosi who should have retired since a long time, are spending all their time to try pushing
President Trump out of the picture, instead of assisting seriously President to govern the country.
Difficult for President Trump to carry out his job in a normal way. Must be a nightmare for him.
It’s really not a normal situation created by the Democrates. Stupide – and dangerous!!