Nancy Pelosi Slams Trump Administration’s ‘Let Them Eat Cake Attitude’

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi lit into Donald Trump and his administration over the ongoing government shutdown, accusing them of having a “Let them eat cake attitude” about federal workers and contractors who are going without pay.

At her weekly press conference in the Capitol building, Pelosi delivered scathing opening remarks before taking questions from reporters. She cited the comments of Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz.

“[T]he commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Karl Schultz. said ‘I find it unacceptable that Coast Guard men and women have to rely on food pantries and donations to get through the day to day life as service members’,” Pelosi said. “That’s the commandant of the Coast Guard. He’s saying that he finds it unacceptable. That should be a call to action for this Administration to open up government.”

Then, Pelosi slammed Trump Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross‘ remarks about federal workers seeking assistance during the shutdown.

“Instead, what do they have? They have Wilbur Ross saying he doesn’t understand why oh, when he was asked about people going to food lines and pantries and the rest, he says, he doesn’t understand why they have to do that,” Pelosi said.

“I don’t know, is this the ‘Let them eat cake’ type of attitude, or call your father for money, or this is character building for you oh, it’s all going to end up very well just as long as you don’t get your paychecks?” Pelosi added, then quoted Ross again for emphasis.

“‘I don’t understand… I don’t quite understand why,’ as hundreds of thousands of men and women are about to miss a second paycheck tomorrow,” Pelosi said.

The remarks clearly affected at least one member of Pelosi’s audience, as Donald Trump tweeted during the presser, but apparently misunderstood Pelosi:

Nancy just said she “just doesn’t understand why?” Very simply, without a Wall it all doesn’t work. Our Country has a chance to greatly reduce Crime, Human Trafficking, Gangs and Drugs. Should have been done for decades. We will not Cave!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2019

Pelosi was quoting Ross for emphasis, not expressing her own confusion. Trump’s claims about immigrant crime have been widely debunked.

Watch the full press conference above, via Speaker Pelosi’s office.