On Sunday, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi venomously attacked President Trump, snapping about his treatment of the coronavirus crisis, “His denial at the beginning was deadly. His delaying of getting equipment to where — it continues — his delay in getting equipment to where it’s needed is deadly.” She also snarked, “Don’t fiddle while people die, Mr. President.”
Pelosi started by answering Tapper’s question about the propriety of President Trump “considering relaxing federal guidelines for coronavirus for some of the less affected parts of the country.” She replied, “Let me just say how sad it is that, even since the president signing of the bill, the number of deaths reported has doubled from 1,000 to 2,000 in our country. This is such a very, very sad time for us. So, we should be taking every precaution. What the president — his denial at the beginning was deadly. His delaying of getting equipment to where —it continues — his delay in getting equipment to where it’s needed is deadly.”
Then stealing a line from the Watergate-era, she accused, “When did this president know about this and what did he know? What did he know and when did he know it?” Then the comparison with the Roman emperor Nero: “But as the president fiddles, people are dying.”
Of course, there was this:
Pelosi, touring San Fran’s Chinatown Feb. 24: “We do want to say to people, come to Chinatown, here we are … come join us” pic.twitter.com/0FEOq9t4VM
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 29, 2020
Tapper made sure Pelosi doubled down on her vitriolic claim, asking, “But are you saying that his downplaying ultimately cost American lives?”
Pelosi seized the opportunity: “Yes, I am. I’m saying that, because when he made — the other day, when he was signing the bill, he said, just think, 20 days ago, everything was great. No, everything wasn’t great. We had nearly 500 cases and 17 deaths already. And in that 20 days, because we weren’t prepared, we now have 2,000 deaths and 100,000 cases … we cannot continue to allow him to continue to make these underestimation — underestimates of what is actually happening here.”
Then she played the “I’m so innocent” card, acting as though she had never accused Trump of anything, asserting, “So, again, let’s review later what we should have done when.”
Pelosi accused Trump of being “casual about the Production Act — the Production Act — that would have called upon industries for — a while ago to — making this equipment.”
Again she played the “I’m so innocent card,” continuing, “So, again, it’s no use — my granddaughter even said to me, why keep talking about, if only he had done this; if have only he had done that. Let’s put that aside for now, and let’s say what we need to do now as we go forward.”
Pelosi stated, “But the fact is, it’s just the same business as usual for the president. Let’s turn it back in favor of corporate America, at the expense of America’s workers, without any conditions that makes things better for America’s working families. We will not let that happen. And, as we go into another bill for more money for state and local hospitals and other priorities that I mentioned earlier we will continue to do so in a way that has conditions on any money that goes to — if there’s any other further money that would go into the business community.”
Tapper asked, “Have you reached out to him to try — to try to talk to him directly? Because, obviously, at a time like this, it’s important that all of our leaders are communicating as best as possible.”
Pelosi answered, “I’m the Speaker of the House. Legislation is my responsibility, responsibility, and getting the — passing policy and passing it all. It has not required any conversations with the president on the nature of the policy or the passage of this legislation. And, don’t forget, I was there for the State of the Union address and did greet the president at that time.”
She concluded, “And, again, I hope that those who advise him, the scientists who advise him, will get him on the right track, so that he is making decisions that are in favor of ending this deadly pandemic, rather than test whether he can quarantine a state or not, as he had to reverse himself again yesterday. Don’t fiddle while people die, Mr. President.”
Video below: