Donald Trump isn’t the obstacle to coronavirus aid. Nancy Pelosi is.

WASHINGTON » Three weeks before Election Day, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi what millions of Americans were thinking: Why was she refusing a White House offer of $1.8 trillion in COVID-19 relief? “There are millions of Americans who have lost their jobs, they can’t pay the rent, their kids need the food,” Blitzer told Pelosi. He noted that she had written to her caucus that “the president only wants his name on a check to go out before Election Day” and asked, “Is that what this is all about, to not allow the president to take credit if there’s a deal that would help millions of Americans right now?”

“No, I don’t care about that,” Pelosi claimed, and repeatedly accused Blitzer of being an “apologist” for Trump throughout the interview. It was a laughable charge, intended to obscure the fact that the truthful answer was yes — that’s exactly what this is all about. Struggling Americans don’t care whose name is on the check. They just need the money. But Pelosi seems to care less about getting them the help they need than stopping Trump from sharing credit for a bipartisan solution. Why else turn down multiple GOP offers for COVID relief? In July, Senate Republicans offered $1.1 trillion, including $300 billion for stimulus checks to Americans, $200 billion to help small businesses, $110 billion for unemployment benefits, and $105 billion in aid to state and local governments. In September, the White House raised the offer to $1.6 trillion. In October, the president increased it further to $1.8 trillion. But Pelosi steadfastly refused, insisting on $2.2 trillion or nothing. Twice, Senate Republicans tried to pass more limited $500 billion bills, but Democrats filibustered both. Why not accept one of these offers? The only logical answer is that any stimulus would have boosted the economy before the election, and Pelosi was willing to drive the economy into a ditch to hurt Trump.

Well, Trump lost — but so did Pelosi. Voters took their anger out on House Democrats. Pelosi will now preside over the smallest House majority in years, and is in danger of losing the House in 2022.

So, has she learned her lesson? Apparently not. Pelosi is still insisting on $2.2 trillion or nothing. This is shameful. We are in the midst of the worst spike in new COVID cases since the pandemic began. Many states are imposing lockdown orders, businesses are being forced to close, and workers are once again being laid off. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has offered to pass the $500 billion package immediately, which includes a $300-per-week enhanced unemployment benefit and more Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses. Why not get immediate help into people’s hands for the next few months and then pass another larger bill when we have a new Congress and a new president?

Any effective legislator knows the way to get things done on Capitol Hill is to take what you can get and then come back for more later. If Democrats win the Georgia Senate runoffs in January, they are going to have total control of government in less than two months and the power to pass anything they want. And if Republicans keep the Senate, Democrats will have to compromise down the road anyway — so there is no downside to compromising now.

Pelosi’s all- or-nothing approach is immoral. Before the election, Rep. Ro Khanna, D- Calif., criticized Pelosi for turning down Trump’s COVID-19 relief offers, tweeting, “People in need can’t wait until February.” That is still true today.

There is one Democrat who could make Pelosi see reason: President- elect Joe Biden. But at a recent news conference, Biden admonished Trump for playing golf instead of leading COVID relief negotiations, and called on Congress to pass a $3 trillion bill he knows has zero chance of approval. Sorry, Trump is not the obstacle to progress here. If Democrats don’t change course, Biden will pay the price as he will inherit a weaker economy than he would have had if Pelosi accepted the Republican offer.

During his victory speech, Biden declared, “The refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another — it’s not some mysterious force beyond our control. It’s a decision, a choice we make. And if we can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide to cooperate.”

It’s about time Biden told Pelosi to decide to cooperate.