On Friday, CNN anchors Brooke Baldwin and Anderson Cooper both celebrated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi snapping at Sinclair reporter James Rosen as both hosts brought on Speaker Pelosi's daughter, Christine Pelosi, as a guest to gloat about her mother's success in impressing liberals with her antagonistic behavior toward conservatives. Because who better than someone's daughter to provide a balanced look? At one point, Baldwin gushed, "Is this classic Nancy Pelosi? Is this the mom you've always known?"
At 2:37 p.m. Eastern, Baldwin introduced the segment:
BROOKE BALDWIN: Nancy Pelosi's big moment is really a year in the making, and it can be told through pictures. Consider this: One year ago, Nancy Pelosi's power was challenged. Already the first woman Speaker, her speakership was questioned by rebels inside her own party -- rebels looking for new blood. It is a battle she won.
After showing a clip of Speaker Pelosi being confrontational with President Trump, Baldwin then brought up the House Speaker mocking the President during this year's State of the Union:
BALDWIN: Shortly after that, you remember this? (Lightly claps hands together to imitate Nancy Pelosi mocking Donald Trump) The clap that went viral. And then, months later, another showdown on the President's turf. At a tense meeting there on Syria, the President releases this picture -- the Speaker standing up and pointing a finger at him. And he thought I would prove that she had had a quote, unquote, "unhinged meltdown," but instead, she embraced it, taking that photo and proudly made it the header on her own Twitter page.
After showing a clip of Pelosi snapping at Rosen, the CNN host brought aboard Christine Pelosi and began by posing: "So this is a historic moment for this country, certainly for your mother. Your tweet with the hashtag, 'Don't Mess with Mama.' It has been trending. I mean, you know this woman better than anyone. Is this classic Nancy Pelosi? Is this the mom you've always known?"
She soon followed up:
And in just the last 24 hours, you know, she made quite a headline in, you know, in responding to that reporter's question yesterday on, "Do you hate the President?" and walking back up to that, you know, podium, and I'm just wondering: Have you talked to her since that moment?
Later in the evening, Cooper invoked Democrats who assert that Pelosi's political skill amounts to "playing three-dimensional chess" as he spoke with Christine Pelosi on his Anderson Cooper 360 show. Here's Cooper:
ANDERSON COOPER: Have you seen an evolution of her in terms of just, you know, there's a lot of people on the Democratic side who will say, "Look, she is the most formidable person to either have on your side or against you, and she's sort of just playing a three-dimensional game of chess that a lot of people cannot even sort of imagine"? Have you seen a sort of evolution in her? Or is this the same person who, as you said, was ironing your school uniforms?
Relevant transcripts follow:
Friday, December 6, CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin:
2:37 p.m. Eastern
BROOKE BALDWIN: Nancy Pelosi's big moment is really a year in the making, and it can be told through pictures. Consider this: One year ago, Nancy Pelosi's power was challenged. Already the first woman Speaker, her speakership was questioned by rebels inside her own party -- rebels looking for new blood. It is a battle she won.
(…)
Shortly after that, you remember this? (Lightly claps hands together to imitate Nancy Pelosi mocking Donald Trump) The clap that went viral. And then, months later, another showdown on the President's turf. At a tense meeting there on Syria, the President releases this picture -- the Speaker standing up and pointing a finger at him. And he thought I would prove that she had had a quote, unquote, "unhinged meltdown," but instead, she embraced it, taking that photo and proudly made it the header on her own Twitter page.
During the majority of this year, which included the Mueller Report, she didn't push impeachment. That went against wishes of many inside her own party. But, as she argues, the President left her no choice this time. So after she revealed impeachment charges are coming, when asked if she hated this President, this moment.
(clip of Nancy Pelosi responding angrily to James Rosen's question about whether she hates Donald Trump)
(…)
And with me now, Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Christine. She is the chair of the California Democratic Party Women's Caucus, and she just wrote a book on her mother entitled The Nancy Pelosi Way. ... So this is a historic moment for this country, certainly for your mother. Your tweet with the hashtag, "Don't Mess with Mama." It has been trending. I mean, you know this woman better than anyone. Is this classic Nancy Pelosi? Is this the mom you've always known?
(CHRISTINE PELOSI)
And in just the last 24 hours, you know, she made quite a headline in, you know, in responding to that reporter's question yesterday on, "Do you hate the President?" and walking back up to that, you know, podium, and I'm just wondering: Have you talked to her since that moment?
(CHRISTINE PELOSI)
(…)
You know, the fact that the President took what she did and what she said yesterday that she was having this nervous fit, and he called her a nasty woman, referred to a meltdown, you know, doubts that, in fact, she is praying for him. What would you say to the President?
CHRISTINE PELOSI, DAUGHTER OF SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: I'd say: Mr. President, don't mess with Nancy. Understand she is a prayerful, strong woman, and if you might be feeling nervous or a meltdown or insecure, you don't need to do a self-diagnosis and project that onto somebody else. Maybe it's time to just come forward with that exculpatory information that she told you to bring before and she continues to invite you to bring so that we can know about the business of having free and fair elections in this country and a good end to the current budget negotiations. And I would also say this: Never, ever, underestimate the moral strength and personal character and integrity of Nancy Pelosi..
(…)
From Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN:
8:41 p.m. Eastern
ANDERSON COOPER: Have you seen an evolution of her in terms of just, you know, there's a lot of people on the Democratic side who will say, "Look, she is the most formidable person to either have on your side or against you, and she's sort of just playing a three-dimensional game of chess that a lot of people cannot even sort of imagine"? Have you seen a sort of evolution in her? Or is this the same person who, as you said, was ironing your school uniforms?
