Comparing the threat that former President Donald Trump presents to America’s most existential wars, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made a statement that left many conservatives shaking their heads. A month plus a few days after the attempted assassination of Trump, Pelosi appeared on MSNBC during the final day of the Democratic National Convention to deliver what many saw as an alarmist message.
Pelosi equated the battle against Trump to the wars America endured in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
Speaking with MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell, Pelosi said, “The times have found us.”
She then equated the stakes facing liberals today to those of 1776, when the American colonies declared independence from Britain, and to the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln fought to keep the nation united.
“We have to defeat a person who is a threat to our democracy of the kind that we have not seen – At the beginning of our country, Thomas Paine said that times have found us. Declare war, establish a new nation,” she said, implying that Trump’s presence is as perilous to them as that of the British government during the American Revolution.
She related the current political situation with those in which Lincoln “took up that charge to keep our country together.”
However, Pelosi’s comments immediately drew harsh criticism on social media, especially from right-wing voices. Greg Price, a conservative digital strategist, shared a clip of Pelosi’s comments and sarcastically noted, “Pelosi says that defeating President Trump is the equivalent of defeating the British and the Confederacy because he’s a ‘threat to democracy of a kind we have not seen.’ Only been a little over a month since the guy was nearly assassinated BTW.”
Pelosi says that defeating President Trump is the equivalent of defeating the British and the Confederacy because he's a "threat to democracy of a kind we have not seen."
Only been a little over a month since the guy was nearly assassinated btwpic.twitter.com/piGZo2gtas
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 22, 2024
“Says the woman who overruled every Dem primary election,” quipped conservative columnist Eddie Zipper.
Says the woman who overruled every Dem primary election https://t.co/ftBDW6r3oF
— Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) August 22, 2024
“Remind me again which side is threatening political violence?” PR specialist Chris Barron noted the irony.
Remind me again which side is threatening political violence? https://t.co/4Ryb0KgRRu
— Chris Barron 🇺🇸 (@ChrisRBarron) August 22, 2024
“Says the woman who staged a coup on the democratically nominated candidate,” Pro-Trump commentator Collin Rugg replied.
Says the woman who staged a coup on the democratically nominated candidate.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 22, 2024
Pelosi’s sharp comparison comes over a month after President Joe Biden called for cooler heads. Following the attempted assassination of Trump, Biden begged Americans to lower the temperature of political rhetoric.
“Do remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies. We’re neighbors, we’re friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together,” he urged.
