Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was interviewed by journalist Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday’s PBS edition of Amanpour & Co (after airing on CNN International). The hook was Pelosi’s book The Art of Power, and together they hated on Israel, Israel’s conservative leader Benjamin Netanyahu, and America’s former Republican president Donald Trump: Amanpour asked Pelosi, "...do you think this country can survive another term?"
Christiane Amanpour: Let me ask you first before we get to your book about current affairs. We've just had this terrible report about the Israeli strikes on Gaza and Lebanon. Now, as they continue their counteroffensives, we've seen an attack on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, and we've seen over the weekend some pretty dire attacks on refugee camp, on various areas that dozens have been killed including children. I just wonder your response to that, given America is the most important ally.
Pelosi offered a few seconds of boilerplate toughness, then pivoted to the left-wing line on innocent Gaza civilians being assaulted by Israel.
Nancy Pelosi: The fact is that we just a few days ago observed a one-year anniversary of a terrible assault on Israel by Hamas, a terrorist group dedicated to the destruction of Israel. Sadly, since then, we've seen many casualties of noncombatants, children and families in Gaza, and now some elsewhere in the region, and it's just intolerable….We've all been talking about a two-state solution for a long time, for Israel and for the Palestinians. The current leader in Israel does not agree to that, even though for about 30 years, since like '93, we had been talking about that. I don't know if Netanyahu wants peace. I don't know if he's capable of peace….
Amanpour: He actually came to the Congress not so long ago. What did you make of that invitation and the way he spoke against your party and your administration?
After Pelosi raged against Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, Amanpour brought up her book.
Amanpour: You have said in your book, “I know Donald Trump's mental imbalance. I had seen it up close. His denial and then delays when the COVID pandemic struck. His penchant for repeatedly stomping out of meetings. His foul mouth. His pounding on tables, his temper tantrums, his disrespect for our nation's patriots, and his total separation from reality and actual events.” How did you deal with that? And do you think this country, your country, can survive another term?
Pelosi: Well, I've said it over and over again, one term, our country is strong enough to withstand. But when you see what -- he's even gotten worse since I wrote that. He's saying in this campaign that he will criminalize any comments that are criticizing his actions. He'll criminalize freedom of speech….
PBS eagerly accepts anti-Trump conspiracy theories. Amanpour made a bit of news when she prodded Pelosi into admitting she had not spoken to President Biden since July after moving to force him to drop his re-election bid.
Pelosi: I haven't spoken to him since July, but of course, we've been out of session for a while, and I've been on the campaign trail constantly. I have great respect for the president….
Amanpour aired a segment of Trump’s comments to Fox News journalist Maria Bartiromo about “the enemy from within….radical left lunatics” that could be handled “if really necessary by the military.”
Amanpour: He probably includes you in the radical left and probably includes you as an enemy from within. National Guard, military?
Amanpour teed up a leading question about “Trump Derangement Syndrome” for Pelosi to smack.
Amanpour: ….Trump, his supporters in his campaign would say, people like yourself or whoever says the kind of things you're saying about him and warning about, the authoritarianism, the threat to democracy, they say, quote/unquote, "Trump Derangement Syndrome." That everybody's just hysterical, things were great under his presidency, and there's no need to fear.
Pelosi showed her true liberal colors in her anti-GOP response rant, in which the former speaker out-deplored Hillary Clinton’s notorious “deplorables” comment.
Pelosi: ….some people are just very anti-, anti-woman, anti-newcomer, anti-LGBTQ, anti-diversity, and the rest, and we’ll never get their vote. And then, very rich people, billionaires, they don't want to pay taxes, they don't want any regulation of clean air, clean water, any of that, they just wanted not to pay taxes….
