California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi came under fire on social media on Monday for saying that removing former President Trump from the 2024 ballot would depend on “different laws in each state.”
During an appearance on ABC's “This Week” on Sunday, host George Stephanopoulos told Pelosi: “If you believe he engaged in insurrection within the express meaning of the 14th Amendment, then Do you think he is not qualified to be president?”
“Those laws… are up to each state. Every state has different laws. I don't think he should have been president,” Pelosi said.
Stephanopoulos interjected and corrected him, saying, “That's the constitution.”
“But nevertheless,” Pelosi continued. “There is a view that given the Constitution and Article 14, Section 3, he cannot run for president. But that's not the point. The point here is, again, different states have different laws. That's what we're not.'' Think of it as applied to our state in California. That's what was decided here. But anyway, let's not get into that because it's very complicated. What is very clear is that the American people want us to live up to our oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. ”
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Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi arrives at the U.S. Capitol for the final vote of the year on December 14, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
This exchange was highlighted on X by the RNC Research account and amplified by various conservative users.
“Nancy Pelosi said. [Stephanopoulos] Today, states can override the Constitution and remove Trump from the ballot. Please tell me again which political party is trying to destroy democracy,” another user known as Insurrection Barbie wrote to her 127,000 X followers in response to the ABC interview.
Constitutional Conservatives said of the These are the kinds of dangerous people who run our government.”
“@SpeakerPelosi doesn't care what the Constitution says. It's time for the American people to wake up these idiots!” account added.
Although California Secretary of State Shirley Weber told the Los Angeles Times in late December that she personally felt Trump's actions were “unjustified,” she “will abide by the rule of law.” The party has decided to include Mr. Trump on the list of candidates certified to run in the March primary election. It's disgusting, disturbing, and an attack on democracy. ”
Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Mason City, Iowa, Friday, January 5, 2024. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider whether Colorado can bar Trump from voting for president. (KC McGinnis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Weber's decision comes after Maine Democratic Secretary of State Sienna Bellows ruled that Trump was ineligible to appear on that state's ballot over his role in the Capitol riot. The decision came after the Supreme Court ruled by a 4-3 vote that Trump should not be on the state's ballot. He cited the “insurrection” clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, referring to the Republican primary vote.
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The U.S. Supreme Court announced last week that it would accept Trump's appeal in the Colorado case in February.
In the interview, which took place a day after the third anniversary of the Capitol riot, Pelosi also warned about the message of Jan. 6 during a “campaign year.”
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco on December 15, 2023. (Teyfan Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“There are people who don't want to believe the truth, but whatever their other attitudes, we still have to speak in this period, in this campaign year, in a unified way that brings people together, with respect for all involved.” That is what we are required to do,” Pelosi said. “He's not above the law. And it's up to this case and the court to resolve that. It's not up to us. It's up to the court to resolve it.”
Pelosi's X account also shared another clip of the ABC interview, criticizing President Trump for allegedly delaying sending the National Guard to the Capitol. She said “Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell and I begged the government to send in the National Guard,” but it still “took hours.” However, President Trump has repeatedly said that Pelosi was responsible for the January 6 riot, and that then-Speaker of the House of Representatives and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser had previously announced the presence of 10,000 National Guard troops at the Capitol. He claimed to have denied President Trump's approval.
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“The former president led a violent mob on January 6th that incited an insurrection and desecrated the Capitol, some brandishing Confederate flags under the Lincoln dome. Evidence against him came from his fellow Republicans,” Pelosi wrote on Sunday. “Democrats will provide freedom and justice for all people and protect and protect democracy and the Constitution.”
