During heated exchange, Nancy Pelosi tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer he's 'an apologist' for the GOP


During a contentious interview on Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) repeatedly told CNN's Wolf Blitzer he had "no idea" what he was talking about regarding negotiations for a coronavirus relief bill, and he is an "apologist" for the Republican Party.
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been trying to work out a stimulus bill, with the White House's latest offer of a $1.8 trillion package delivered last week. On Oct. 1, the House approved a $2.2 trillion package, down from the $3.4 trillion bill approved in May. Blitzer asked Pelosi why, when there are people who can't pay their rent and need to go to food banks, she won't accept the $1.8 trillion offer.
"I hope you'll ask the same questions about Republicans, why they don't want to meet the needs of the American people," Pelosi responded. She said that when it comes to her constituents, "I know what their needs are. I listen to them, and their needs are not addressed in the president's proposal. So when you say to me, why don't you accept theirs, why don't they accept ours?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Blitzer pushed back, saying some members of her caucus, like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), want her to take the offer so the ball goes into Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) court. "What do you say to Ro Khanna?" Blitzer asked. "What I say to you is, I don't know why you're always an apologist, and many of your colleagues apologists, for the Republican position," Pelosi shot back. "Ro Khanna, that's nice. That isn't what we're going to do." She asked Blitzer if he had "any idea what the difference is between the spending that they have in their bill and that we have in our bill? Do you realize that they have come back and said all these things for child tax credits and earned income tax credits, helping people who have lost their jobs, are eliminated in their bill."
People not involved in the negotiations "have no idea" what they are talking about, Pelosi continued, and she is "confident" in her negotiations and her caucus "overwhelmingly" wants her to keep fighting. Watch the heated interview below. Catherine Garcia
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strike
speed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes