President Trump called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Tuesday to congratulate the Democratic Party for retaking the lower chamber in the 2018 midterm elections.
“President Trump called Leader Pelosi at 11:45 p.m. this evening to extend his congratulations on winning a Democratic House Majority,” Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, tweeted. “He acknowledged the Leader’s call for bipartisanship in her victory remarks.”
[Opinion: Why Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump will want to work with each other (a bit)]
President Trump called Leader Pelosi at 11:45 p.m. this evening to extend his congratulations on winning a Democratic House Majority. He acknowledged the Leader’s call for bipartisanship in her victory remarks.
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) November 7, 2018
Trump’s outreach efforts follow White House press secretary Sarah Sanders’ indication Tuesday the president would not phone the presumptive incoming House speaker.
“I’m not sure why you would call Nancy Pelosi considering a lot of people in her own party have said they wouldn’t support her,” Sanders said, per ABC. “If Democrats win tonight, I think we need to wait and see who their speaker is.”
Pelosi, who only sees herself “as a transitional figure,” said Tuesday House Democrats would help add a layer of accountability on Trump in the next Congress.
“Today is more than about Democrats and Republicans, it’s about restoring the Constitution’s checks and balances to the Trump administration,” Pelosi said during a celebratory event in Washington.
