Trump backs Pelosi, who says as House speaker she would ‘show the power of the gavel’
WASHINGTON — It’s a pivotal moment for Nancy Pelosi — the beginning of a triumphal return as the nation’s first female House speaker, or the start of a political reckoning over who should lead Democrats in the Donald Trump era.
With Democrats winning control of the House, President Trump signaled Wednesday his support for Pelosi as speaker. In a tweet Trump said that Pelosi “has earned this great honor” and suggested the Republican party could help her secure the job. “If they (Democrats) give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Reclaiming the speaker’s gavel could be Pelosi’s last act, one she intends to use to restore the power of the office after GOP Speaker Paul Ryan’s retirement. She wants to impress on Americans the importance of the legislative branch as a co-equal branch of government.
“People will see a Congress that is very different than we have now,” Pelosi told The Associated Press while campaigning in Arizona days before the election.
