Nancy Pelosi: The debate was a 'winning night' for Harris; Trump lost

WASHINGTON - Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a phone interview with USA TODAY that the presidential debate Tuesday was a “winning night” for Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I thought that Kamala Harris showed vision. She said ? she was very clear that there are two different visions for America as we go forward, rather than looking back as he has with the same old, same old,” Pelosi said, referring to former President Donald Trump.

“I thought that she showed eloquence in her command of the issues and her presentation of them. I thought that he took the bait that she put out there, but he also self-immolated. I think he was destroying himself, even if she hadn't sort of challenged him to do so. So I thought it was a winning night for her, and we're very, very proud of her,” she added.

Both Harris and Trump sparred over top issues for voters including immigration, abortion and the economy.

When asked by the moderator about his recent remarks that he lost the 2020 election by a “whisker,” Trump said his comments were made sarcastically and again repeated false claims of election fraud.

Harris knocked Trump, saying he’s having a “difficult time” processing the election outcome.

“We cannot afford to have a president of the United States who attempts as he did in the past to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election,” she said.

Pelosi said that given the time constraints of the debate, Harris handled her response against Trump’s election denialism claims well.

“I have high standards for how those answers are handled. And I was very, very proud of her. I thought she did very well. I think that he was a mess, and he's now saying he has won, so it's no need for him to debate again. No, he lost, and that's why he doesn't want to debate again,” she said.

“We just have to take the message to the American people and all of us have to live up to our responsibility for respect for other people's views, for other people's votes and the results of the election, because the world looks to us as a beacon of democracy,” she added, calling Trump’s behavior “anti-patriotic.”

Pelosi said she is also “so proud” of former Rep. Liz Cheney, former Vice President Dick Cheney and other Republicans who have spoken out against Trump.

“But the Republicans have got to take back their party for the good of the nation and the pride that they take and the service that they have provided to our country,” she said. “It's interesting that so many people who even served in his administration are saying that he's unfit … to serve.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nancy Pelosi: Debate was 'winning night' for Harris