Pelosi: I wish George W. Bush were president now
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., allowed herself a bit of nostalgia Friday, yearning for the days of an administration friendlier to Democrats: that of former President George W. Bush.
Pelosi was touting her bipartisan bona fides on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” citing her relationship with former President Bush as proof of her willingness to reach across the aisle. When an interviewer suggested she’s “missing him now,” Pelosi conceded she did.
“I wish [George W. Bush] were president now,” she said, laughing. “I wish Mitt Romney were president. I wish John McCain were president.”
Quite the story from Nancy Pelosi about her first meeting with Trump—and his insistence that he won the popular vote. (via @Morning_Joe) pic.twitter.com/xvmCmJA6el
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 9, 2017
She then suggested that President Trump was elected not by voters who were particularly enamored with him and his policies, but Republicans merely following the party line.
“As far as the Republicans, the people voted for him, as almost like any mammal will do. They were just voting and voting a certain way.”
She also recounted her first White House meeting with Trump, in the company of other House and Senate leaders.
“First thing he says, to open the meeting, ‘You know, I won the popular vote,’” she recalled.
Despite winning the Electoral College, Trump was trounced in the popular vote, with about 3 million more people voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“When he said that, I said, ‘Well, Mr. President, that’s not true,’” Pelosi recalled.
“He said, ‘Well, 3.5 million people voted illegally,’” she continued. Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed that the presidential election was plagued with massive voter fraud. He frequently cites the debunked estimate that anywhere from three to five million people voted illegally.
“I said, ‘Well, that’s not true,’” Pelosi recalled. “And he said, ‘And I am not even counting California,’” a possible barb at the House majority leader.
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