House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday that President Trump doesn’t understand federal workers at all when he claims they support the ongoing government shutdown.
“This is another example of the president being almost delusionary about what it is,” Pelosi said at a press conference alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and a group of furloughed workers. “He said that to us, ‘Oh the workers are calling me saying I’ll stay out without a paycheck as long as it takes.’ And that’s like — give us names. Names names, and the fact is that’s not right.”
The comments came after a reporter asked over a dozen furloughed workers standing behind the two leaders how many want to see the government reopened and also want a wall to be built. None raised their hands.
[Pressure: GOP offers to pay federal employees who work during the shutdown]
“The federal workers are as much for President Trump’s position on shutdown and the wall as the four past presidents were,” Schumer said.
Pelosi’s remarks came less than 24 hours after their response to the president’s prime-time address to the nation on the shutdown. Schumer argued that Trump’s 10-minute pitch to voters on the wall did not make inroads with anyone.
“I don’t think he persuaded a soul with his talk last night,” Schumer said. “It didn’t have the effect he had hoped.”
