At a press briefing on Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said her “crest fell on Election Day,” but the Women’s March raised her spirits.
During her press conference, Pelosi was asked about her participation inauguration day and how her “crest has fallen” during President Trump’s first 14 days in office.
“Well, it isn’t a question of crestfallen. My crest fell on Election Day,” Pelosi said. “But you’re ever hopeful. “
Pelosi distanced herself from her participation on inauguration day by saying it was merely a matter of “courtesy” and not an endorsement or “approval” of Trump:
I don’t have great expectations from what I have heard, but that day was a matter of courtesy. The peaceful exchange of power’s a question of courtesy. It wasn’t anything jovial or lighthearted about it. It was a question of courtesy. Please don’t mistake courtesy for approval or… anything else positive.
Pelosi explained what actually “lifted [her] spirits,” which was the Women’s March and the protests at airports across the country in response to Trump’s executive orders:
The next day I was less crestfallen when… On January 20th we had the peaceful transfer of power with the inauguration of a new president. The next day we had the peaceful show of power with millions of women, men, and families turning out across our country and across the world to say ‘Here we are. We’re paying attention. And we have concerns.’ Many of them marched to protect our care. So I would say I was very happy about that but they had other issues as well.
It was organic, it was spontaneous. It wasn’t organized by any elected officials or political party. It was the people turning out. I thank them for that show, that show of ‘we are listening, we are watching, look at us.’ But also I think that led to people showing up at airports last weekend. They say their power, they knew their power, and they said ‘Okay, we’ll show up again.’
Pelosi said the Women’s March and the airport protests made her “less crestfallen” and talked about the “patriotic duty to be informed, and to weigh in, and hold people accountable whose decisions affect their lives.”
“So that is what lifted my spirits, the Women’s March. Certainly not the inauguration,” Pelosi concluded.