CNN "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" - Transcript Interview with Nancy Pelosi

Interview

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Joining me now to discuss, the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Speaker Pelosi, thanks so much for joining us. And happy Women's Suffrage Week. I missed it last week with you, but thanks so much for being here, the first women speaker of -- woman speaker of the House.

I want to get to the post office stuff in a second.

[09:30:01] But, first, I do want to ask you about this breaking story, this remarkable audio of President Trump's sister, former Judge Maryanne Trump Barry. She calls the president cruel. She says he has no principles. She says Donald is out for Donald.

It was secretly recorded by President Trump's niece Mary, who has made her opinion of her uncle clear in a book she wrote about him.

What's your reaction to hearing that kind of stark criticism coming from the president's own sister?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Well, it's heartbreaking to think that a family member of the president of the United States would have that view of him.

The president is calling everything a hoax. He calls the virus a hoax for a while. He's called the Russian interference in our elections a hoax. He calls everything a hoax, which is just a projection of what he is, a hoax. And this is just further evidence of his inauthenticity and his lack of integrity, a hoax.

TAPPER: As you know, the White House has already rejected this $25 billion in this Postal Service bill approved by the House yesterday.

In a tweet, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tied it to the stalled coronavirus negotiations on the Hill. He wrote -- quote -- "If you really want to help Americans, how about passing relief for small businesses and unemployment assistance, along with postal funding? We agree on these. There's no reason not to deliver relief for Americans right now" -- unquote.

And I know you called his list very deficient. But there are some areas of common ground between Democrats and Republicans. If you're willing to vote on a solo post office bill, why not reach a deal on some of these other issues where there is agreement? Surely, passing something to provide relief for struggling Americans is better than nothing.

PELOSI: Appreciate your question.

What he put forth was bare leaves. He didn't mention the fact that millions of children in our country are food-insecure, that millions of people on the verge of eviction, that he did nothing to address the actual coronavirus, from testing, tracing, treatment, et cetera, that they are ignoring the needs of state and local government.

And all of this comes down to the education of our children. They don't want to do enough for that. And what they want to do is not the right path.

So, again, he's putting out that to say -- and, by the way, what the president has said, if you give me this, I'm not doing anything else.

We cannot accept that, not when kids are hungry, kids want to go to school, people need housing. The list goes on. Of course, they don't want to do anything about the election, the $25 billion that would go to the Postal Service.

And that's not about the elections only. It's about the coronavirus. It's about the nearly 100 percent of the prescriptions that go through the mail from VA for our veterans are affected by this and delayed by the actions of the Postal Service.

So, this is an emergency immediately. And it's something that should be bipartisan. And it was yesterday. The public is demanding action on this now. I can't see how the Senate can avoid it, unless they do so to their peril.

TAPPER: Well...

PELOSI: But don't be misled by bare crumbs -- and I don't say crumbs, but the bare leaves that this administration wants to put out.

All of the president wants is this one thing. He wants his name on a letter to go out with a check in it. And he doesn't care about the rest of it, about the coronavirus funding, about the state and local, which really fund our schools.

TAPPER: Right.

So, a couple things. First, I think the White House is signaling that they'd be willing to go along with $10 billion in post office funding. I know that's less than the $25 billion you passed last night, but that's something.

And, also, you say that House Democrats are on the same page with regards to the coronavirus negotiations.

PELOSI: Yes.

TAPPER: But almost half of the Democratic Caucus signed a letter this week calling on you to pass a stand-alone unemployment insurance bill.

And a number of the most vulnerable Democrats are urging you to restart negotiations. In a letter, they wrote -- quote -- "The reality is that only bipartisan solutions will deliver much-needed support. And that requires principled comprise by both parties. We must keep negotiating, no matter how difficult. Inaction is not an option."

How much longer do you think your caucus is going to stand together on this if a stalemate continues?

PELOSI: My caucus is standing together on this.

I invite any ideas that they have. I welcome them. And there are a number of letters for one aspect or another. And I welcome that.

But they want -- of course, we all want the negotiations to continue, but not just what the administration wants, but what the country needs.

Today marks the 100th day since we passed the HEROES Act, so-called, to support our health care workers, our teachers, our first responders, our transportation, our sanitation, our food workers.

And the White House says -- what they say to us is, why should one state help another state that may have needs? Well, we welcome them to the United States of America.

[09:35:03]

It has a strategic plan to crush the virus, which they have ignored. Since we passed our bill, over four million more people have been added to the infection list because they paused.

But over 70,000 -- what -- over 80,000 more people have died because they paused. Could we have saved all of those lives and those diagnoses? Not all, but many.

So, again, when we go to putting money into people's pockets, as the president wants to do with that letter, we have to do so, not in a bread and circuses way, I'm going to give you this, but I'm not giving you anything else.

This is like ancient Rome. Trump fiddles while Rome burns, while America burns, and Trump gives bread and circuses, without the bread.

So, we will see the circus this week with his convention, well- introduced by the words of his own family as to his lack of character and integrity.

TAPPER: There's been a lot of talk about President Trump trying to undermine the legitimacy of the November elections.

PELOSI: Yes.

TAPPER: A lot of Democrats talking about that.

But I have to say, at the Democratic Convention, Hillary Clinton said Americans can't let the president -- quote -- "sneak or steal his way to victory." Former President Obama warned, "Don't let them take away your democracy."

If President Trump wins reelection in November, do you think Democrats will accept it as legitimate? Will you accept it as legitimate?

PELOSI: Of course, if it -- of course.

But that doesn't mean that we will not shout out against his initiatives, whether it's to tie up the Postal Service, so that we will not have the opportunity for people to vote by mail, not having to choose between their health and their vote.

It doesn't mean that we ignore the Russian interference into our election. And they try to cloak it by saying, well, we look at many countries.

No, the Russians 24/7 are interfering into our election. The president welcomes it. So, again, it isn't a question of accepting the result. The question

is, is making sure the public knows that they must vote, they must have a plan to vote, they must vote early, because their playbook is one that has all kinds of obstacles to participation in our country.

And it's so sad to see Republicans marching to this drummer. They're going to have, as I have said over and over, major doggy doo on their shoes for a long time to come, because they're complicit in his undermining the integrity of our election.

TAPPER: Yes.

PELOSI: But you know what? Ignore it.

Let me just say this, Jake. It's really important, because he's doing this so that people won't vote. He's saying, it's no use voting because it won't count as cast, you might as well not vote.

TAPPER: Mm-hmm.

PELOSI: The best thing all the time is to ignore what he has to say, because it has no association with fact, validity, or truth.

TAPPER: Yes.

PELOSI: And what we have to do is -- he may have his bully pulpit, but we have the American people, and we will make sure they turn out to vote.

TAPPER: Madam Speaker, you decided to endorse in the Massachusetts Senate primary race.

PELOSI: Yes.

TAPPER: You are backing Congressman Joe Kennedy over your longtime colleague Senator Ed Markey.

Progressives are now accusing you of hypocrisy. They say the Democratic leadership has opposed primary challenges to House incumbents, but now you're backing a primary challenge to a Senate incumbent.

AOC tweeted -- quote -- "No one gets to complain about primary challenges again."

How do you respond to the charge this is a double standard?

PELOSI: Well, this -- well, thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify that, because that isn't the fact.

People can support whoever they want. And our members do. But I support my members. And I have consistently, proudly supported my members in their reelections -- and that's been consistent -- against any other people who are running against them. They can run against them, and members can support them. But I support my members.

And I am so proud of Joe Kennedy. Thank you for asking me about it.

He really was instrumental in helping us win the House in 2018, which has made a significant difference in how we point out the -- what the administration is doing. So, he's been a valued member.

He's a -- he's brilliant. He's gentle. He's kind. He gives credit to other people. He has courage. He has courage. And I'm so proud to support him. So, I thank you for asking me about that.

So, it isn't about -- members can support whoever they want. And I support my members when they run for reelection and when they run for other office.

TAPPER: All right, Speaker Pelosi, always good to see you. Thank you so much for your time today.

PELOSI: Thank you. Good morning.

TAPPER: We will do it live.

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