House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday shot down chatter that she will be stepping aside from her post atop the House Democrats, and said she will carry on even after Democrats questioned her ability to help rebuild a majority after Tuesday’s special election loss in Georgia.
“I feel very confident in the support that I have in my caucus,” she told reporters two days after Democrat Jon Ossoff’s loss to Republican Karen Handel. “No, my timing is not about them.”
“I always listen to my members,” Pelosi said, adding she is “proud” of her leadership of the caucus.
“I respect the ambition that exists in any caucus. It’s a part of our life. But I’m very proud of the unity that we’ve had and, frankly, my leadership in terms of keeping everybody together on fighting the healthcare bill in the House of Representatives … [W]hen it comes to the issues, we are united.”
Republicans have tied Democrats around the country to Pelosi, but Pelosi said Republicans are targeting her because she’s an “effective” leader, and would target any Democrat leader. She also said Ossoff’s five-point defeat to Handel is “good news” for the party, and pointed to the progress Democrats made in that race in a district that has heavily favored Republicans for decades.
“When it comes to personal ambition and having fun on TV, have your fun. I love the arena. I thrive on competition,” Pelosi added, saying she remains supported by most within the caucus.
Pelosi’s comments came hours after President Trump tweeted out his support for her to remain on as House Democratic leader and pointed to Republican victories under her watch, including the 2010 and 2014 midterms. She said she didn’t believe Trump actually wrote the tweet, except for the part about “Cryin’ Chuck” Schumer.
“When I heard that tweet, I thought, ‘he didn’t write that,'” Pelosi said. “That’s the first one I think he didn’t write. He didn’t write that, the Republicans gave him that and then he added the Chuck Schumer line in there as well. He may have added that … That’s a classic Republican line.”
