War of words between Pelosi and an ‘extremely stable genius’
U.S. President Donald Trump baselessly questioned the mental soundness of the Democrat who leads the House of Representatives, alleging Thursday with no apparent evidence that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has suffered an intellectual decline that has left her unable to comprehend his revised NAFTA deal.
Trump said that Pelosi is “disintegrating,” is “crazy,” is a “mess,” and “doesn’t understand” the trade agreement.
“I don’t think she’s capable right now of understanding it. I think she’s got a lot of problems,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, I’ve been watching her, and I have been watching her for a long period of time, she’s not the same person. She’s lost it.”
Pelosi has not aggressively opposed the agreement, which retains almost all of the key provisions of the original NAFTA. She has said she would like to work with the administration to resolve Democrats’ concerns about provisions related to labour, the environment and pharmaceuticals.
Trump has himself faced accusations of mental unfitness, including from Pelosi. He has shown a fondness for hurling at his opponents the same insults he has received.
His accusations Thursday were part of a two-day war of words that underscored how difficult it may be for the administration to secure approval for the agreement in the House, effectively controlled by Pelosi. Trump walked out of a Wednesday meeting with Pelosi on the subject of infrastructure, angry that she had accused him earlier in the day of perpetrating a “cover-up.” He then delivered an unscheduled Rose Garden speech in which he said he would refuse to work with Democrats on legislation while they were investigating him.
Pelosi responded by claiming the president had thrown a “temper tantrum.”
Trump lashed back with a series of insults at a Thursday event supposedly about farmers and ranchers, during which he also uttered a series of false claims, inaccurately accused former FBI officials of treason, and indignantly called on three of his aides to tell the cameras how calm he supposedly was before he walked out on Pelosi.
“I’m an extremely stable genius,” he said later in the event. Pelosi responded on Twitter. “When the ‘extremely stable genius’ starts acting more presidential, I’ll be happy to work with him.”