Donald Trump lacked the courage to journey to the Capitol on Jan. 6, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) asserted in an interview, refusing to back down from her comments that she would have punched the president if he showed up on the day of the riot.
Pelosi was pressed to respond to her explosive statement, revealed last week in video footage reportedly captured by her own daughter, during an appearance on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports.
Mitchell inquired about the seriousness of the statement. “But you did say would’ve punched him out,” Mitchell reminded Pelosi. “I said I would have punched him out, I would’ve gone to jail and I would have been happy to do so,” Pelosi responded.
WATCH: PELOSI WAS READY TO ‘PUNCH’ TRUMP IF HE DARED TRAVEL TO CAPITOL ON JAN. 6
“Would you have done it?” Mitchell asked directly, at which point Pelosi paused and briefly held her hand up. “He wouldn’t have had the courage to come to the Hill. It’s all talk,” Pelosi responded, avoiding directly restating her position.
The House speaker then went on to talk about how she believes Republicans are undermining “our democracy.”
“So, you have to recognize that they are undermining our democracy,” she said. “And if people think that … can be casual about that, they just don’t realize how serious the Republicans are about undermining our democracy.”
Pelosi’s initial response was an almost verbatim restatement of her comment during the riot, first aired last week on CNN.
“If he comes, I’m gonna punch him out,” Pelosi said during the riot. “I’ve been waiting for this, for trespassing on the Capitol grounds. I’m gonna punch him out, and I’m gonna go to jail, and I’m gonna be happy.”
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Pelosi made the comment about wanting to punch Trump as she watched Trump’s speech at the Ellipse near the White House, during which he encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol and said he would join them to protest the certification of now-President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Trump did not end up going to the Capitol that day, although the Jan. 6 committee has received evidence that he pushed for it but was denied by the Secret Service.
Trump responded to Pelosi’s threat on Tuesday, calling her a “despicable person.” He told radio host Larry O’Connor: “If I ever said that, it would be a national scandal. With her, it’s not even a blip.”
