House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that calling President Trump a “motherf—” is rhetorically no different than his day-to-day gripes about Democrats.
The California lawmaker told comedian Stephen Colbert in October that a higher level of political discourse was on the agenda if the midterm elections favored Democrats. She’s singing a different tune after a recent call by Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib to “impeach the motherf—.”
“I’m not in the censorship business,” Mrs. Pelosi told MSNBC in an interview set to air in full Friday evening. “I don’t like that language, I wouldn’t use that language … but I don’t think it’s anything worse than what the president has said.”
Mrs. Pelosi then argued that Mrs. Tlaib’s rhetoric is culturally inconsequential while the president’s statements carry weight.
TONIGHT ON @MSNBC: @SpeakerPelosi joins @JoyAnnReid and a live audience for a special town hall event. Watch “The Speaker: Nancy Pelosi” tonight at 10 PM ET, #reiders! pic.twitter.com/p03qnh4zXQ
— AM Joy w/Joy Reid (@amjoyshow) January 4, 2019
SEE ALSO: Nancy Pelosi to Stephen Colbert: Measured political rhetoric begins ‘when we win’
“Words weigh a ton, and the president has to realize his words weigh a ton too, and some of the words he uses have a direct impact on peoples’ lives,” she said. “My colleague’s comments do not have an impact on peoples’ lives.”
The MSNBC interview with Joy Reid is a stark contrast with her Oct. 30 appearance on “The Late Show.”
When asked about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s stance that civility could return if Democrats took back control of Congress, Mrs. Pelosi replied at the time: “Well, I think when we win, you will see evidence of that. Because when we do win, we will have, as we open the new Congress, we will honor the vows of our founders, E pluribus unum, from many, one. It’s OK to disagree in the marketplace of ideas, that’s exciting, but it is also important to find solutions that unify and not divide.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.